Scientific Notation, Significant Figures,-Short

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What is scientific notation?

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Scientific notation is a way of expressing numbers that are too large or too small to be conveniently written in decimal form. It is typically in the form of a x 10^n, where 1 ≤ a < 10 and n is an integer.

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How do you round a number to a specific number of significant figures?

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To round a number to a specific number of significant figures, identify the digit at the desired position, look at the digit to its right, and round up if it is 5 or greater, or leave it unchanged if it is less than 5.

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What are significant figures?

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Significant figures are the digits in a number that contribute to its precision. This includes all non-zero digits, any zeros between significant digits, and trailing zeros in the decimal portion.

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How many significant figures are in the number 0.00456?

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There are three significant figures in the number 0.00456 (4, 5, and 6). The leading zeros are not counted.

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What is the significance of trailing zeros in a whole number?

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Trailing zeros in a whole number without a decimal point are not considered significant. For example, in 1500, there are only two significant figures unless specified otherwise (e.g., 1500. has four significant figures).

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How do you determine the number of significant figures in a measurement?

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To determine the number of significant figures in a measurement, count all non-zero digits, any zeros between significant digits, and any trailing zeros in the decimal portion.

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What is the rule for significant figures when adding or subtracting numbers?

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When adding or subtracting numbers, the result should be reported to the least number of decimal places of any number in the operation.

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What is the rule for significant figures when multiplying or dividing numbers?

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When multiplying or dividing numbers, the result should have the same number of significant figures as the number with the least significant figures in the operation.

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How do you express the number 0.000123 in scientific notation?

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The number 0.000123 can be expressed in scientific notation as 1.23 x 10^-4.

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What does a negative exponent in scientific notation indicate?

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A negative exponent in scientific notation indicates that the original number is a fraction or a very small number.