Significant Figures and Scientific Notation

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

Count all non-zero digits, any zeros between them, and trailing zeros in a decimal number. Leading zeros are not counted.

Front

If the exponent on your power of 10 is positive, is your number larger or smaller than 10?

Back

Larger

Front

What is scientific notation?

Back

Scientific notation is a way of expressing numbers as a product of a number between 1 and 10 and a power of 10.

Front

Convert 0.00056 to scientific notation.

Back

5.6 x 10^-4

Front

Calculate 12.34 + 1.234 + 0.1234 and give the answer with the correct significant figures.

Back

13.70

Front

How many significant figures does the number 0.002040 have?

Back

4

Front

Write the number 7.7 x 10^9 in standard form.

Back

7,700,000,000

Front

Calculate 1.23 m x 0.89 m and give your answer with the appropriate number of significant figures.

Back

1.1 m²

Front

What is the rule for multiplication and division regarding significant figures?

Back

The result should have the same number of significant figures as the measurement with the least number of significant figures.