Significant digits address the issue of uncertainty in measurements. When carrying out mathematical exercises, the term with the least number of significant digits will determine how many “ sig figs “ the answer must contain. A quick summary of the rules regarding significant figures follows:
- All non-zero digits are significant.
- All digits between non-zero digits are significant.
- Zeroes to the left of significant digits are not significant.
- Zeroes to the right of significant digits are significant.
When making measurements, be sure to record all digits within a value that are significant and make an educated assumption about the accuracy of the last digit recorded.
Q: How many significant figures are contained in the number 82.85?
A: Four non-zero digits are present, so there are four significant figures.
Q: How many significant figures are in the number 3302.8?
A: There are four non-zero digits present, and there is a zero between two of the non-zero digits. There are a total of five significant figures present.
Q: How many significant figures are in the number 0.0088?
A: The two non-zero digits present are preceded by two zeros. The zeroes are being used to define the size of the measured quantity, but they are not significant. There are two significant figures present.
Q: How many significant figures are present within the number 1.500 x 103?
A: The zeros present are to the right of the non-zero digits present. There are four significant digits present.
RENAISSANCE PHYSICS 