Have you ever noticed that gasoline prices go to three decimal places?
Have you ever seen the third place be something other than nine-tenths? I haven’t. Do they even own slidy squares for eight-tenths or four-tenths? I called a shell station and asked; they don’t.
When I hear talk about gas prices, people forget those nine tenths. The price is $1.879 but most say $1.87, not $1.88. If something costs $2.99 you say $3, not $2, but that’s because the difference is big enough to matter.
Apparently the tenths of a cent were significiant when gasoline cost less than 25 cents per gallon. Tommy Andres writes more thoroughly.
Public Domain Dedication.