A.0.4—Estimating results

An estimate gives the expected scale of a result before exact calculation. It is a reasonableness check, not a replacement for showing the measured or calculated value.

Round inputs to one useful figure, keep powers of ten visible and compare the exact answer with the estimate; investigate a large mismatch.

A 2.0 cm² leaf area with a flux near 5 units cm⁻² h⁻¹ should produce a total near 10 units h⁻¹, not 10,000.

Do not use rough rounding when a small difference is the biological conclusion.