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Significant figures are important for science, they tell how certain you are of a certain value. The rules for significant figures are as follows:

If it is a decimal number, look at the first number on the left. If it is not zero, start counting the amount of numbers, and that's how many significant figures you have. For example, 7.495 has 4 significant figures. If it is zero, keep going until there is digit larger than zero, and start counting the numbers until the end. However many numbers there are, that's how many significant figures you have. For example, 0.000331 has 3 significant figures.

If the number does not have a decimal, start from the right and if the number is not zero, start counting numbers and that's how many significant figures you have. For example, 93847 has 5 significant figures. If it is zero, the first significant figure will be the first non-zero digit. For example 3873000 has 4 significant figures.

When you add or subtract some numbers, the amount of significant figures the answer should be expressed in depends on the number with the least amount of decimal places. For example,

4.398 + 5.2 = 9.6

You express the answer to the lowest number of decimal places a value you are adding or subtracting has.

When you multiply or divide numbers, the answer is expressed to the lowest amount of significant figures that the values have. For example:

55 x 7 = 400 (when expressed with correct significant figures)

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9y ago

Significant figures are important for science, they tell how certain you are of a certain value. The rules for significant figures are as follows:

If it is a decimal number, look at the first number on the left. If it is not zero, start counting the amount of numbers, and that's how many significant figures you have. For example, 7.495 has 4 significant figures. If it is zero, keep going until there is digit larger than zero, and start counting the numbers until the end. However many numbers there are, that's how many significant figures you have. For example, 0.000331 has 3 significant figures.


If the number does not have a decimal, start from the right and if the number is not zero, start counting numbers and that's how many significant figures you have. For example, 93847 has 5 significant figures. If it is zero, the first significant figure will be the first non-zero digit. For example 3873000 has 4 significant figures.


When you add or subtract some numbers, the amount of significant figures the answer should be expressed in depends on the number with the least amount of decimal places. For example,


4.398 + 5.2 = 9.6


You express the answer to the lowest number of decimal places a value you are adding or subtracting has.


When you multiply or divide numbers, the answer is expressed to the lowest amount of significant figures that the values have. For example,


55 x 7 = 400 (when expressed with correct significant figures)

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Q: What is an example for significant figures?
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What is the name of the places behind the decimal?

Significant figures. For example, 3.4953729 to 3 significant figures would be 3.495


How are significant figures counted?

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.


How can you know significant figures?

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.


How to identify significant figures?

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.


How do significant figures come about?

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.

Related questions

Is 2.3 an example of a significant figure?

No, 2.3 is an example of 2 significant figures. The significant figures are 2 and 3


What is the rules for determing rignificant figures?

1. All non-zero digits are significant. For example, 295 has three significant figures. 2. Leading zeroes in front of a decimal are not significant. For example 0.295 has three significant figures. 3. Zeroes between other significant figures are significant. For example 2095 has four significant figures. 4. Trailing zeroes after a decimal are significant. For example 295.0 has four significant figures. And 2950 has three significant figures because the trailing zero does not occur after a decimal.


How many significant figures are there in 5020?

5020 has 3 significant figures. It could also have 4 significant figures if, for example, 5019.6 was rounded to 4 significant figures.


What are the rules in determining the number of significant figures?

You count the number of figures from left to right starting with the first number different from 0. Example: 205 has 3 significant figures 0.0000205 has 3 significant figures 0.000020500000 has 8 significant figures


What is the name of the places behind the decimal?

Significant figures. For example, 3.4953729 to 3 significant figures would be 3.495


What are rules of significant figures?

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.


What are rules in significant figures?

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.


How do you find the significant figures?

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.


How are significant figures counted?

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.


How can you know significant figures?

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.


How to identify significant figures?

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.


How do significant figures come about?

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.