"The price per gallon is extended by the number of gallons first, then rounded. On a 20 gallon purchase, the difference would amount to $0.02 (very few vehicles would have a larger tank). Pumps commonly display price and volume to three decimals, but round the fuel sale to two decimals."
It works prrtty much the same here. For example, a typical petrol price (for litres, mark you) would be something like 117.8p per litre. Now, being that there obviously isn't any such thing in UK currency as 0.8p, this price is obviously rounded up to £1.18 per litre. Got no idea why they do it, unless it's to try and con people like they do in stores with the £99.99-style prices, making people believe they are saving money when in reality you know fine well you are really pretty much paying £100. ----- Original Message ----- From: John M. Steele To: U.S. Metric Association Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 3:50 PM Subject: [USMA:47198] RE: Decimal currency & Metrication I don't know what is wrong with saying 299.9 cents, but most Americans would say $2.999 (two point nine nine nine dollars). I suppose it is just another US/UK speech difference. Advertising signs always use the fraction 9/10 or show the trailing nine as a small (superscript) font, with an underline (I suppose that can be viewed as the upper half of the fraction). Decimal displays on the pump and receipt printers would use $2.999. The price per gallon is extended by the number of gallons first, then rounded. On a 20 gallon purchase, the difference would amount to $0.02 (very few vehicles would have a larger tank). Pumps commonly display price and volume to three decimals, but round the fuel sale to two decimals. Fractional cent pricing is common in wholesale quantities of low price parts like fasteners. At work, we commonly used prices to four or five decimals. Obviously in any purchase, they must be extended by a quantity first, then rounded. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Stephen Davis <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Tue, April 20, 2010 9:25:17 AM Subject: [USMA:47196] RE: Decimal currency & Metrication "But the USA is the king of the marketers using every trick in the book to sell more. Gas is even worse at 2.99 9/10 pre gallon." God! What's the matter with saying 299.9 cents? This would have to be rounded up to $3.00 anyway, wouldn't it? Surely its not that difficult to understand that 0.9 = 9/10ths? Or are they scared that people might somehow think they're charging $2999 a gallon? ;-)
