Sunday 24 July 2011

4 Significant Figures

1. Any digit that is not zero is significant. 1234.56 6 significant figures 
1234.56 6 significant figures
2. Zeros between non-zero digits are significant.
1002.5 5 significant figures
3. Zeros to the left of the first non-zero digit are not significant.
000456 3 significant figures
0.0056 2 significant figures
4. If the number is greater than one (1), then all zeros to the right of the decimal point are significant.
457.12 5 significant figures
400.00 5 significant figures
5. If the number is less than one, then only zeros that are at the end of the number and between non-zero digits are significant.
0.01020 4 significant figures
6. For numbers that do not contain decimal points, the trailing zeros may or may not be significant. In this course assume the digits are significant unless told otherwise.
1000 1, 2, 3, or 4 significant figures. UNCLEAR assume 4 in calculation
0.0010 2 significant figures
1.000 4 significant figures
7. Assume defined and counted quantities have an unlimited number of significant figures.
NOTE: It is much easier to count and keep track of significant figures if the number is written in scientific notation.
By Pravetha Nair

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Warning: This is at risk to your own safety.
You may word vomit about the epicness that is our blog. But flattery is a poor man's praise, keep that in mind.