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    Significant Figures

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    Neha Singh
    Scientific measurements are reported with a certain number of significant figures indicating the precision of the last digit. All non-zero digits and trailing zeros with a decimal point are significant. Interior zeros and leading zeros are only significant if they are between non-zero digits or carry overbars. Calculations follow rules where multiplication and division retain the least significant figures and addition and subtraction retain the least decimal places. Examples are provided to demonstrate counting and rounding significant figures.

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    Significant Figures

    Uploaded by

    Neha Singh
    203 views3 pages
    Scientific measurements are reported with a certain number of significant figures indicating the precision of the last digit. All non-zero digits and trailing zeros with a decimal point are significant. Interior zeros and leading zeros are only significant if they are between non-zero digits or carry overbars. Calculations follow rules where multiplication and division retain the least significant figures and addition and subtraction retain the least decimal places. Examples are provided to demonstrate counting and rounding significant figures.

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    Scientific measurements are reported with a certain number of significant figures indicating the precision of the last digit. All non-zero digits and trailing zeros with a decimal point are significant. Interior zeros and leading zeros are only significant if they are between non-zero digits or carry overbars. Calculations follow rules where multiplication and division retain the least significant figures and addition and subtraction retain the least decimal places. Examples are provided to demonstrate counting and rounding significant figures.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    203 views3 pages

    Significant Figures

    Uploaded by

    Neha Singh
    Scientific measurements are reported with a certain number of significant figures indicating the precision of the last digit. All non-zero digits and trailing zeros with a decimal point are significant. Interior zeros and leading zeros are only significant if they are between non-zero digits or carry overbars. Calculations follow rules where multiplication and division retain the least significant figures and addition and subtraction retain the least decimal places. Examples are provided to demonstrate counting and rounding significant figures.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    Significant Figures

    Scientific measurements are reported so that every digit is certain except the last, which
    is estimated. All digits of a measured quantity, including the certain one, are called
    significant figures.

    Counting Significant Figures Examples

    1.54 (3 sig. figs.)


    1. All non-zero digits are always significant.
    45 (2 sig. figs.)
    0.02503 (4 sig. figs.)
    2. Interior zeros (zeros between nonzero numbers) are significant. 402 (3 sig. figs.)
    3.00674 (6 sig. figs.)
    3. Leading zeros (zeros at the beginning of a number) are NOT 0.103 (3 sig. figs.)
    significant. 0.000002 (1 sig. fig.)

    4. Trailing zeros (zeros at the end of the number): 1.050 (4 sig. figs.)
    1.00 x 103 (3 sig. figs.)
     are significant if and only if there is a decimal point present
    10 (2 sig. figs.)
    in the number OR they carry overbars.
    1000 (1 sig. fig.)
     are NOT significant otherwise. 190 (2 sig. figs.)

    5. Exact numbers have an unlimited number of significant figures. 10 dm = 1m


    (unlimited sig. figs.)

    Significant Figures in Calculation

    Multiplication and Division Addition and Subtraction


    When multiplying or dividing measurements When adding or subtracting measurements
    with significant figures, the result has the same with significant figures, the result has the same
    number of significant figures as the number of decimal places as the
    measurement with the lowest number of measurement with the lowest number of
    significant figures. decimal places.

    5.02 × 89.665 × 0.10


    (3 sig. figs.) (5 sig. figs.) (2 sig. figs.) 2 . 0 3 4 5 (4 d.p.)
    = 45.0118 0.07 (2 d.p.) 5.9 (1 d.p.)
    = 45 (round off to 2 sig. figs.) + 2 . 9 9 7 5 (4 d.p.) - 2 . 2 2 1 (3 d.p.)

    5.892 ÷ 6.10 5.4125 5.6 79


    (4 sig. figs.) (3 sig. figs.) = 5.41 (2 d.p.) = 5.7 (1 d.p.)
    = 0.96590 (3 sig. figs.) (1 sig. figs.)
    = 0.966 (round off to 3 sig. figs.)
    Practice Problems
    1. How many significant figures are in each of the following?

    a) 3.405
    b) 0.00289
    c) 1030
    d) 7.0040 x 10-3
    e) 102.00
    f) 0.000980
    g) 9.80

    2. Perform the following calculations to the correct number of significant figures

    a) 12.0550 + 9.05
    b) 257.2 – 19.789
    c) (6.21 x 103) (0.150)
    d) 0.0577 ÷ 0.753
    e) 27.5 x 1.82 ÷ 100.04
    f) (2.290 x 106) ÷ (6.7 x 104)
    g) [(28.7 x 105) ÷ 48.533] + 144.99

    3. Round each of the following numbers to three significant figures:


    a) 342.79513
    b) 9,845.8749
    c) 0.000045389
    d) 2.45555567
    e) 76.89
    f) 56.9971

    References:
    Tro, Chemistry: A Molecular Approach 2nd ed., Pearson
    Brown/LeMay/Bursten, Chemistry: The Central Science, 12th ed., Pearson

    3. a) 343; b) 9850; c) 0.0000454; d) 2.46; e) 76.9; f) 57.0


    2. a) 21.11; b) 237.4; c) 652; d) 7.66 x 10-2; e) 0.500; f) 34; g) 5.93 X 104
    1. a) 4; b) 3; c) 3; d) 5; e) 5; f) 3; g) 3
    Answers

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