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Significant Figures

The document discusses significant figures, which are the digits in a measurement that convey meaningful information about its precision. There are five rules for determining significant figures: (1) non-zero digits are significant; (2) zeros between non-zeros are significant; (3) trailing zeros are not significant for whole numbers; (4) leading zeros before a decimal are not significant; (5) trailing zeros after a decimal are significant. Calculations with measurements preserve the least significant figures - addition and subtraction keep the place value of the least precise term, while multiplication and division keep the number of significant figures of the least reliable factor.

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86 views

Significant Figures

The document discusses significant figures, which are the digits in a measurement that convey meaningful information about its precision. There are five rules for determining significant figures: (1) non-zero digits are significant; (2) zeros between non-zeros are significant; (3) trailing zeros are not significant for whole numbers; (4) leading zeros before a decimal are not significant; (5) trailing zeros after a decimal are significant. Calculations with measurements preserve the least significant figures - addition and subtraction keep the place value of the least precise term, while multiplication and division keep the number of significant figures of the least reliable factor.

Uploaded by

Jyannejm Maylas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Significant figures

International System of Units


Name Symbol Quantity

Meter m Length

Kilogram kg Mass

Second s Time

Ampere A Electric current

Thermodynamic
Kelvin K
temperature

Candela cd Luminous intensity

Mole mol Amount of substance

• The International System of Units (SI) is a revised and


modernized descendent of the metric system of measurement
and is used for scientific work throughout the world.

• Although we still use traditional measurements for everyday purposes, they


must be converted to SI measurements for legal and official purposes in most
countries.
What is a significant figure?

There are two kinds of numbers:

 Exact: The amount of money in your account. A


value that is known with certainty.

 Approximate: Mass, height or anything that is


measured.

• No measurement is perfect, they are always


approximate. They depend on the precision of the
measuring instrument. For example, the smallest
markings on most rulers indicate millimeters.

• A significant figure is an accurate digit.


What is a significant figures?
Example:
You measure the width of a paper with your
ruler and you record 27.1 cm

• To a mathematician 27.10, or 27.100 is the


same. However, to a scientist it is not the same.
27.100 cm means the measurement is accurate
to within one thousandth of a cm.
• When writing an answer in physics (or other
sciences) you must use significant numbers. In
order to find out what numbers are significant you
have to follow some rules.
Rules for significant figures
Rule # 1 – All non zero numbers are significant.

Examples:

125 3 significant figures


3 1 significant figure
52 2 significant figures
2894 4 significant figures

Rule # 2 – All zeros between non zero numbers are significant.

Examples:

1009 4 significant figures


502 3 significant figures
74056 5 significant figures
60.8 3 significant figures
Rules for significant figures
Rule # 3 – All trailing zeros are not significant if there isn’t a decimal.

Examples:

20 1 significant number
300 1 significant number
150 2 significant numbers
20000 1 significant number

Rule # 4 – If a zero and only a zero comes before a decimal, it is not significant.

Examples:

0.95 2 significant figures


0.4003 4 significant figures
0.2 1 significant figures
0.008 1 significant figure
Rules for significant figures
Rule # 5 – All zeros after a non zero number and after a decimal are significant.

Examples:

6.0003 5 significant figures


0.9300 4 significant figures
5.00 3 significant figures
0.0070 2 significant figures

• In general a calculated answer cannot be more precise than the least precise
measurement from which it is calculated.
• The saying: “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link” explains well the way
calculations with significant numbers work.
• Sometimes calculated measurements need to be rounded off to abide by the rules of
significant figures.
Calculating with significant figures

Addition and Subtraction

Rule – When adding or subtracting with significant figures, the answer can have no more
places after the decimal than the least of the measured numbers.

Examples:

4.8
-3.965
0.835 = 0.8
Calculating with significant figures

Examples (cont.):

You measure three different objects and want to add them


together. One object measures 2.5 m, the other 143 cm and
the other 2.198 m.

Once you add them together: 2.5 m + 1.43 m + 2.198 m = 6.128

Your answer will round to 1 decimal place because that is the


least of the measured numbers.

6.1 is your answer


Calculating with significant figures

Multiplication and division

Rule – When multiplying or dividing, the result can have no more significant figures than
the least reliable measurement.

Examples:

Three significant
Three significant
figures
figures

278
= 23.7601 = 23.8
11.70
Four significant
figures
Calculating with significant figures

Examples:

6.38 X 2.0 = 12.76 = 13 (2 significant figures)

2.5 X 2.0 = 3.325 = 3.3 (2 significant figures)

100.0 23.7 = 4.2194 = 4.22 (3 significant figures)

710 3.0 = 236.6666 = 240 (2 significant figures)

0.02 X 2.371 = 0.04742 = 0.05 (2 significant figures)


Calculating with significant figures

Combined operations

If products or quotients are to be added or subtracted, perform the multiplication


or division first, establish the correct number of significant figures in the sub
answer, perform the addition or subtraction, then round to the proper number of
significant figures.

Example:

(7.50 3) – (2.0 X 5)
(2.5) – (10)
-7.5 = - 8

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