Activity # 1 (Significant Figure) - 1

Activity No.
1
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
Objectives
From this activity, the student should be able to:
1. Familiarized the rules in determining the numbers of significant figures in a given
measurement, and
2. Use the rules of determining the numbers of significant figures in performing the fundamental
operations and solving word problems.
Unlike counting, measurement is never exact. You can count exactly ten people in a room. If you
ask each of these people to measure the length of the room to the nearest 0.01 m, however, the values
they determine are likely to differ slightly. Table 1 presents such a set of measurements.
Note that all ten students agree on the first three digits of the measurement; differences occur in the
fourth digit. Which values are correct? Actually, all are accurate within the accepted range of uncertainty
for this physical measurement. The accuracy of the measurement depends on the type of measuring
instrument and the skill and care of the person making the measurement. Measured values are usually
recorded with the last digit regarded as uncertain.
The data in Table 1 allow us to state that the length of the room is between 14.1 m and 14.2 m, but
we are not sure of the fourth digit. The measurements in the table have four significant figures, which
mean that the first three are known with confidence and the fourth conveys an approximate value.
Significant figures include digits known with certainty plus one uncertain digit.
Table 1. Set of measurements of the length of a room.

Student Length (m) Student Length(m)
1 14.14 6 14.14
2 14.15 7 14.17
3 14.17 8 14.17
4 14.14 9 14.16
5 14.16 10 14.17
In any properly reported measurement, all nonzero digits are significant. The zero presents a
problem, however, it can be used in two ways: to position the decimal point or to indicate a measured
value. For zeros, follow these rules:
1. A zero between two other digits is always significant.

Ex. 1107 – contains four significant figures
2. Zeros to the left of all nonzero digits are not significant.
Ex. 0.000163 – contains three significant figures
3. Zeros that are both to the right of nonzero digits are significant.
Ex. 802.760 – contains six significant figures
4. Zeros in numbers such as 40, 000 (that is, zeros to the right of all nonzero digits in a number that is
written without a decimal point) may or may not be significant. Without more information, we simply
do not know whether 40,000 was measured to the nearest unit of ten or hundred or thousand or ten
thousand. To avoid this confusion, scientists use Scientific Notation (or exponential
notation).
Ex. 40,000 = 4 x 104 (one significant figure) or
= 4.0 x 104 (two significant figures) or
= 4.0000 x 104 (five significant figures)
Scientific Notation
Scientific notation is writing a number as the product of a number between 1 and 9 multiplied by 10
raised to some power.
• Used to express very large numbers or very small numbers as powers of 10.
• Write 45,000,000 in scientific notation
– Move the decimal point (leftward) so that it is located after the first nonzero digit (5.94)
– Indicate the power of 10 needed for the move. (107)
• 4.50×107
• Exponent is equal to the number of places the decimal point is moved.
• Sign on exponent indicates the direction the decimal was moved
– Moved right → negative exponent
– Moved left → positive exponent
• Write 0.000509 in scientific notation
– Move the decimal point (rightward) so that it is located after the first nonzero digit (3.50)
– Indicate the power of 10 needed for the move. (10-4)
• 5.09×10-4
ROUNDING OFF NONSIGNIFICANT DIGITS

Rules in Rounding Off
If the leftmost digit to be removed is less than 5, the preceeding number is left unchanged. If it is 5 or
greater, the preceding number is inceased by 1.
How do we eliminate nonsignificant digits?

ROUND DOWN If first nonsignificant digit < 5, just drop ALL nonsignificant digits
ROUND UP If first nonsignificant digit ≥ 5, raise the last sig digit by 1 then drop ALL nonsignificant
digits
Examples:
❖ 9.239899 rounded to 2 significant figures is 9.2
❖ 0.033462 round to 3 significant figures is 0.0335
Significant Figures in Calculations
In Addition or Subtraction:
− The result should contain no more digits to the right of the decimal point than the quantity that
has the least digits to the right of the decimal point.
− Align the quantities to be added to the right of the decimal point and then perform the
operation, assuming blank spaces are zeros.
− Determine the correct number of digits after the decimal point in the answer and round off to
this number.
− In rounding off, you should increase the last significant figure by one if the following digit is
five through nine.
Ex. Add the following numbers: 49.146, 72.13, 5.9432

Align the numbers on the decimal point and carry out the addition.
49.146 The quantity with the least digits after the decimal point is 72.13.The
72.13 answer should have only two digits after the decimal point. Since
+ 5.9432 the third digit after the decimal point is 9, the second digit after the
127.2192 decimal point should be rounded up to 2.
Correct answer: 127.22
In Multiplication or Division:
− The number of significant figures in the final answer should be the same to that of the factor
with the least number of significant figures
− In the operation, the position of the decimal point makes no difference.
Ex. Multiply 10.4 by 3.1416

10.4 x 3.1416 = 32.67264 →32.7
The final answer is rounded off to three significant figures because the term with the least
number of significant figures is 10.4 with three SF.
Exact values
• Some quantities are not measured but defined.
− A kilometer is defined as 1000 meters: 1 km = 1000 m.
− Similarly, 1 foot can be defined as 12 inches: 1 ft = 12 in.
• The “1 km” should not be regarded as containing one significant figure nor should “12 in.” be
considered to have two significant figures. In fact, these values can be considered to have an
infinite number of significant figures (1.000 000 000 000 000 0…) or, more correctly, to be exact.
• Such defined values are frequently used as conversion factors in problems. When you are
determining the number of significant figures for the answer to a problem, you should
ignore such exact values.
• Use only the measured quantities in the problem to determine the number of significant figures in
the answer
Activity No. 1 (Dry Lab)
MEASUREMENTS AND SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
NAME: ___________________________________________ SCORE: _________/38
INSTRUCTOR: __________________________________ DATE: ____________
A. How many significant figures are there in each of the following numbers? 1 pt each.
_________________ 1. 100 _________________ 6. 3.678
_________________ 2. 2.001 x 1013 _________________ 7. 0.0100130
_________________ 3. 7.330 _________________ 8. 5.100 x 10-4
_________________ 4. 400.01 _________________ 9. 2360305
_________________ 5. 14780.1 _________________ 10. 23.004 x 10-5
B. Perform the indicated operation and express your answer with the correct number of significant
figures. (2 pts each)
1. (18 x 165 x 5.3) ÷ (3.3 x 6.0 x 4.7) = ______________________________
2. 7.87 ÷ (26.1 - 8.24) = ______________________________
3. (2.42 + 15.7) ÷ 2.9 = ______________________________
4. 35632 + 7.62 + 1.3 = ______________________________
5. (325 x 40.8) + (627 – 375) = ______________________________
C. Answer as directed. Show Solutions.
1. Express the following numbers in scientific notation with 3 significant figures. (1 pt. each)
a. 65310 ______________________________
b. 0.000630 ______________________________
c. 856500 ______________________________
d. 16000 ______________________________
e. 0.001016 ______________________________
2. The diameter of the cylinder is 15.2 cm and the height is 165.4 cm. Calculate the volume of water
needed to fully filled this cylinder. Show your complete solution and answer with the correct number of
significant figures. (3 pts.)
3. Calculate the average mass of the three samples that have the masses of 10.25 g, 5.5654 g, and
105.4 g. Show your answer with the correct number of significant figures. (3 pts.)
4. What is the mass of a rectangular piece of copper with dimensions of 142.6 cm x 21.4 cm x 9.5 cm?
The density of copper is 8.92 g/cm3? (3 pts.)
5. The World Meteorological Organization has determined that the world's former record high
temperature 136.4°F (at Al Aziziyah, Libya on September 13, 1922) was miscalculated by about 12.6°F.
What is the correct temperature, in °C, taking into consideration the 12.6°F mistake? (4 pts)

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Activity No.

Table 1. Set of measurements of the length of a room.

1. A zero between two other digits is always significant.

ROUNDING OFF NONSIGNIFICANT DIGITS

How do we eliminate nonsignificant digits?

Significant Figures in Calculations

Ex. Add the following numbers: 49.146, 72.13, 5.9432

Ex. Multiply 10.4 by 3.1416

NAME: ___________________________________________ SCORE: _________/38

INSTRUCTOR: __________________________________ DATE: ____________

_________________ 1. 100 _________________ 6. 3.678

_________________ 2. 2.001 x 1013 _________________ 7. 0.0100130

_________________ 3. 7.330 _________________ 8. 5.100 x 10-4

_________________ 4. 400.01 _________________ 9. 2360305

_________________ 5. 14780.1 _________________ 10. 23.004 x 10-5

1. (18 x 165 x 5.3) ÷ (3.3 x 6.0 x 4.7) = ______________________________

2. 7.87 ÷ (26.1 - 8.24) = ______________________________

3. (2.42 + 15.7) ÷ 2.9 = ______________________________

4. 35632 + 7.62 + 1.3 = ______________________________

5. (325 x 40.8) + (627 – 375) = ______________________________

C. Answer as directed. Show Solutions.

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NAME: ___________________________________ SCORE: _/38

INSTRUCTOR: ______________________ DATE:

_ 1. 100 _ 6. 3.678

_ 2. 2.001 x 1013 _ 7. 0.0100130

_ 3. 7.330 _ 8. 5.100 x 10-4

_ 4. 400.01 _ 9. 2360305

_ 5. 14780.1 _ 10. 23.004 x 10-5