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Significant Figures

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14 views5 pages

Significant Figures

Uploaded by

laila.mohamed2024
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Significant figures (or significant digits) are the number of

digits important to determine the accuracy and precision of


measurement, such as length, mass, or volume
Significant digits in math convey the value of a number with
accuracy

) All non-zero digits are significant.

How many significant figures in 20? Two!

652.1 miles −4 significant figures.

3.4 inches −2 significant figures.

(2) All zeros in between non-zero digits are significant.

23.0041 −6 significant digits.

4005 feet −4 significant digits.

(3) Zeros on the right of a decimal point and before (or to


the left of) the first non-zero digit are not significant. They
only represent the position of the decimal point.

0.003 − 1 significant digit.

0.0034 − 2 significant digits

(4) Zeros on the right of a decimal point are significant,


provided there is no non-zero digit after them.

7.00 − 3 significant digits.

(5) Zeros on the right of the last non-zero digit after a


decimal point are significant. So, final zeros or trailing
zeros in the decimal part are significant.

0.6500 − 4 significant digits

12.300 − 5 significant digits

(6) In a measurement value, zeros that occur on the right of


the last non-zero digit are significant.
2650 inches −4 significant digits

Let’s take a look at a few examples for better understanding.

Significant figures examples:

How to Round Off Significant Figures


To round off significant figures, we have to omit one or
more digits from the right side of the number until we reach
the number of significant digits that we want to round it off
to.

First, we have to look at the digit on the right end of the


number (to the right of the digit we want to round it off to).

1. If the digit is lower than 5, the number is rounded off to


the lower number.
2. If the digit is greater than or equal to 5, the number is
rounded up to the higher number.
If there is more than one digit on the left, the number will be
rounded off as a whole and not digit by digit.

Confused? Let’s look at an example!Example: How many


significant figures are there in 0.04582? Four! The four
significant digits are 4, 5, 8, and 2.
Let’s round off this number to three significant digits.

Check the last digit, which is 2.

We will round it to 0.0458 since the last digit, 2, is less than


5.

If we want to round it off further to 2 significant digits, then


it will be rounded up to 0.046 because the last digit, 8, is
greater than 5.

Here’s an example of a decimal rounded from 6 significant


digits to 1 significant digit:

Example: How many significant figures are there in


0.04582? Four! The four significant digits are 4, 5, 8, and 2.

Let’s round off this number to three significant digits.

Check the last digit, which is 2.

We will round it to 0.0458 since the last digit, 2, is less than


5.

If we want to round it off further to 2 significant digits, then


it will be rounded up to 0.046 because the last digit, 8, is
greater than 5.

Here’s an example of a decimal rounded from 6 significant


digits to 1 significant digit:
fun Facts!
Here are some fun facts about significant figures:

 Significant digits are also called “sig figs.”


 In earlier times, significant digits were used to refer to
the non-zero digits on the left of the zeros on the right
end of a number. For example, 4500 would have two
significant digits.
 In modern times, significant digits are used for
measurements and accuracy. Rounding errors would
often affect the accuracy of mathematical and scientific
calculations. For this reason, there was a need to
develop rules for rounding off numbers
and measurements.

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