Which term describes the error produced when a decimal result is rounded to provide a meaningful answer?

Which term describes the error produced when a decimal result is rounded to provide a meaningful answer?

• A. Runtime error
• B. Compile-time error
• C. Overflow error
• D. Round-off error

Answer: (D)

When performing arithmetic with decimals in finite precision systems, you store only a limited number of digits. To present a result meaningfully, you round to that precision. The small difference between the true value and the rounded value is called a round-off error. It arises from the limits of how many digits you can represent, not from a bug in the code or from reaching beyond the storage capacity. Runtime errors occur during program execution, compile-time errors happen during compilation, and overflow errors occur when a value exceeds the maximum representable range.

When performing arithmetic with decimals in finite precision systems, you store only a limited number of digits. To present a result meaningfully, you round to that precision. The small difference between the true value and the rounded value is called a round-off error. It arises from the limits of how many digits you can represent, not from a bug in the code or from reaching beyond the storage capacity. Runtime errors occur during program execution, compile-time errors happen during compilation, and overflow errors occur when a value exceeds the maximum representable range.