Significant Figures

Front

What are significant figures?

Back

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.

Front

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

Back

To determine the number of significant figures, count all non-zero digits, any zeros between them, and trailing zeros in a decimal number. Leading zeros are not counted.

Front

How many significant figures does the number 0.002040 have?

Back

4

Front

How many significant figures does the number 56.040 have?

Back

5

Front

How many significant figures does the number 0.456 have?

Back

3

Front

How many significant figures does the number 0.998005 have?

Back

6

Front

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

Back

Trailing zeros in a decimal number are significant because they indicate precision. For example, in 2.300, the zeros show that the measurement is precise to the thousandths place.

Front

What are leading zeros and how do they affect significant figures?

Back

Leading zeros are the zeros that precede all non-zero digits. They are not counted as significant figures. For example, in 0.0045, the leading zeros do not count, so there are 2 significant figures.

Front

How many significant figures does the number 100 have?

Back

1 (unless specified otherwise, such as in scientific notation).

Front

How many significant figures does the number 100.0 have?

Back

4 (the decimal point indicates that the trailing zero is significant).