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Significant Figures Guide

Rules for determining significant figures in measurements involve identifying which digits in a number are significant based on their position. Zeros between or after nonzero digits are significant, while leading zeros and trailing zeros in decimal places are sometimes or always significant, respectively. When performing calculations, final answers can only be as precise as the original measurements and must be rounded accordingly using set rules.

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117 views1 page

Significant Figures Guide

Rules for determining significant figures in measurements involve identifying which digits in a number are significant based on their position. Zeros between or after nonzero digits are significant, while leading zeros and trailing zeros in decimal places are sometimes or always significant, respectively. When performing calculations, final answers can only be as precise as the original measurements and must be rounded accordingly using set rules.

Uploaded by

testtwentyseventeen
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Rules for Determining Significant Figures in Measurements

1. All nonzero numbers are significant.


2. Zeros may or may not be significant depending on their position in the number.
Examples are shown on the table below.
_____________________________________________________________________
Rule Measured # of Significant
Number Figures
_____________________________________________________________________

1. A number is a significant figure if it is


a) A nonzero digit 6.5 g 2
132.34 m 5
b) A zero between non zero digits 305 m 3
2.056 kg 4
c) A zero at the end of a decimal number 50. L 2
28.0 cm 3
18.00 g 4
d) Any digit in a number written in 4.0 * 105 m 2
scientific notation 6.70 * 10-3 g 3

2. A number is not significant if it is


a) A zero at the beginning of a decimal 0.0008 kg 1
number (between a decimal point and 0.0953 m 3
a nonzero digit)

A zero used as a placeholder in a large 750 000 km 2


number without a decimal point 1 430 000 mm 3
________________________________________________________________________

Rules for Rounding Off

When doing calculations from measured numbers using a calculator, you get answers that give
several digits. However, your answer cannot be more precise than your actual measurements.
For example if you are calculating the area of a piece of cloth that measures 6.3 m by 3.4 m, the
answer is 21.42 m2. Your measurements only have 2 significant figures; so all four digits cannot
be significant. You must round off your final answer to two significant figures: 21 m2. There are
two rules to remember when rounding off numbers:

1. If the first digit to be dropped is 4 or less, it and the following digits are just dropped.
Ex. Rounding off 5.3132 to 3 significant figures = 5.31

2. If the first digit to be dropped is 5 or greater, the last retained digit is increased by 1.
Ex. Rounding off 15.684 to 3 significant figures = 15.7

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