Round the number 12.456 to the nearest hundredth.

To round the number 12.456 to the nearest hundredth, you need to look at the third decimal place, which is 6 in this case. Since 6 is greater than 5, you round the second decimal place (5) up by 1. Therefore, 12.456 rounded to the nearest hundredth is 12.46. Now, rounding can be super useful in daily life! For example, when budgeting or shopping, you often want to keep track of prices to two decimal places, making rounding essential for quick calculations and ensuring you stay within your budget. Interestingly, rounding has roots in ancient mathematics! The method of rounding has been around for centuries, employed by merchants and accountants alike to simplify transactions. They needed a quick way to represent numbers without going into the tedious details, making rounding a timeless tool that still applies today!