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When determining the number of significant digits in a measurement what is significant?
The rules for identifying significant figures when writing or interpreting numbers are as follows:
- All non-zero digits are considered significant. For example, 91 has two significant figures (9 and 1), while 123.45 has five significant figures (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5).
- Zeros appearing anywhere between two non-zero digits are significant. Example: 101.1203 has seven significant figures: 1, 0, 1, 1, 2, 0 and 3.
- Leading zeros are not significant. For example, 0.00052 has two significant figures: 5 and 2.
- Trailing zeros in a number containing a decimal point are significant. For example, 12.2300 has six significant figures: 1, 2, 2, 3, 0 and 0. The number 0.000122300 still has only six significant figures (the zeros before the 1 are not significant). In addition, 120.00 has five significant figures since it has three trailing zeros.
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How many significant digits are in this number 0.003 g?
There is 1 significant figure in this measurement.
When determining the number of significant digits in ameasurement?
It is important to consider the precision of the measuring equipment.
How does the precision of a calculated answer compare to the precision of the measurements use to obtain it?
the precision of the answer must have the same number of significant digits as the measurement with the least significant digits- the site explains the rules and how to identify significant digits
What digits are considered significant in a measurement?
Non-zero digits are always significant. Thus, 569 has three significant digits, and 69.35 has four significant digits. Zeros are sometimes significant and sometimes aren't: # Zeroes placed before other digits are not significant; 0.0968 has three significant digits. # Zeroes placed between other digits are always significant; 70063 kg has five significant digits. # Zeroes placed after other digits but behind a decimal point are significant; 7.90 has three significant digits. # Zeroes at the end of a number are significant only if they are behind a decimal point as in (c). Otherwise, it is impossible to tell if they are significant. For example, in the number 8200, it is not clear if the zeroes are significant or not. The number of significant digits in 8200 is at least two, but could be three or four. To avoid uncertainty, use scientific notation to place significant zeroes behind a decimal point: 8.200 * 103 has four significant digits 8.20 * 103 has three significant digits 8.2 * 103 has two significant digits
When multiplying significant digits what is the number of digits allowed in an answer?
The least number of significant figures in any number of the problem determines the number of significant figures in the answer.
