Chapter 35: Problem 4

What are significant figures? How are they used to describe the uncertainly associated with a measurement?

Short Answer

Expert verified

Significant figures are the digits in a number that carry meaningful information about its precision. They are used to express the precision (not the accuracy) of a measurement. The uncertainty in a measurement is usually considered to be ± one in the last significant figure.

Step by step solution

Definition of Significant Figures

Significant figures in a number are digits that carry meaningful information about its precision. They are all the numbers that are known with certainty plus the first digit that is uncertain.

Rules for Identifying Significant Figures

There are several rules to identify significant figures: 1. Non-zero digits are always significant. 2. Any zeros between significant digits are significant. 3. Leading zeros are not significant. They're only placeholders. 4. Trailing zeros in a number containing a decimal point are significant.

Role in Describing Uncertainty

Significant figures are used to express the precision of a measurement, not its accuracy. The uncertainty in a measurement is usually considered to be ± one in the last significant figure. If more precision is needed in measurements, more significant figures are used.

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What are significant figures? How are they used to describe the uncertainly associated with a measurement?

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Definition of Significant Figures

Rules for Identifying Significant Figures

Role in Describing Uncertainty

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