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 part.

Front

How do you determine the number of significant figures in a whole number without a decimal point?

Back

For whole numbers without a decimal point, only the non-zero digits are considered significant. For example, in 100000000, there is 1 significant figure.

Front

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

Back

In decimal numbers, all non-zero digits are significant, and any zeros to the right of a decimal point are also significant. For example, 153.0 has 4 significant figures.

Front

How many significant figures are in the number 2016?

Back

2016 has 4 significant figures.

Front

How many significant figures are in the measurement 4.20 cm?

Back

4.20 cm has 3 significant figures.

Front

How many significant figures are in the number 450?

Back

450 has 2 significant figures when no decimal point is present.

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, 2.300 has 4 significant figures.

Front

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

Back

To round a number to a specific number of significant figures, identify the last significant figure you want to keep, and round up if the next digit is 5 or greater.

Front

What is the rule for counting significant figures in addition and subtraction?

Back

In addition and subtraction, the result should be reported with the same number of decimal places as the measurement with the least number of decimal places.

Front

What is the rule for counting significant figures in multiplication and division?

Back

In multiplication and division, the result should have the same number of significant figures as the measurement with the least number of significant figures.