Significant figures flashcards

What are significant figures?

Digits that carry meaning contributing to its precision. Includes all non-zero digits, zeros between them, and trailing zeros in decimals.

True or false: Zeros in front of a number are significant.

False, because leading zeros do not count as significant figures.

Difference between 3.040 and 3.04.

3.040 has four significant figures; 3.04 has three. The trailing zero in 3.040 counts.

How many significant figures in 0.00456?

Three significant figures: 4, 5, and 6. Leading zeros are not significant.

Question: 100.0 has how many significant figures?

Four significant figures. The decimal point makes the trailing zero significant.

Fill in the blank: The number 2500 has ____ significant figures.

Two significant figures, unless specified with a decimal point.

What is a placeholder zero?

A zero that only indicates the position of a decimal point. It does not count as significant.

True or false: All non-zero digits are significant.

True, because they always contribute to the number's precision.

Comparison: 0.070 and 0.7.

0.070 has two significant figures; 0.7 has one. The leading zero does not count.

How do you round 0.04567 to three significant figures?

0.046. Look at the fourth digit (6) and round up.

Question: What is the significant figure rule for addition?

The result should have the same number of decimal places as the measurement with the least decimal places.

Difference between exact and measured numbers.

Exact numbers have an infinite number of significant figures (like counts). Measured numbers have a limited precision.

How many significant figures in 0.200?

Three significant figures: 2, the two zeros count as they are trailing in a decimal.

Question: Round 234.56 to two significant figures.

230. The 4 rounds down the 5.

True or false: In scientific notation, all digits in the coefficient are significant.

True, because they all express precision.