Question: Bargain Appliance Store advertises three refrigerators on sale at $1199, $799, and $499. Round each cost to the nearest hundred to estimate the total cost.
The estimated total cost is $
1. **State the problem:** We need to round the prices $1199$, $799$, and $499$ to the nearest hundred and then estimate their total cost.
2. **Recall the rounding rule:** To round to the nearest hundred, look at the tens digit.
- If the tens digit is 5 or more, round up.
- If the tens digit is less than 5, round down.
3. **Round each price:**
- $1199$: The tens digit is $9$ (which is \geq 5), so round up to $1200$.
- $799$: The tens digit is $9$ (which is \geq 5), so round up to $800$.
- $499$: The tens digit is $9$ (which is \geq 5), so round up to $500$.
4. **Calculate the estimated total:**
$$1200 + 800 + 500 = 2500$$
5. **Final answer:** The estimated total cost is $2500$.