Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 11: Q3Q (page 292)

Why is it incorrect to think that the more digits you include in your answer, the more accurate it is?

Short Answer

Expert verified

Adding more digits to an answer does not increase its accuracy.

Step by step solution

01

Disadvantage of adding more digits in the answer

Including too many digits in the answer does not increase its accuracy. The accuracy of the answer only depends on the physical measurement on which it is based.

Adding many digits requires greater accuracy, which may not be possible with the given measurements.

02

Examples of problems with more digits in the answer 

Consider a rectangle of length 1.25 cm and breadth 1.1 cm. The area of this rectangle is 1.375 cm2.

The scale on which the area is measured is accurate only up to 0.1 cm2. Therefore, in this case, the answer will be 1.4 cm2, and adding more digits will not make it more accurate.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

(a) How many seconds are there in 1.00 year? (b) How many nanoseconds are there in 1.00 year? (c) How many years are there in 1.00 second?

A mass attached to the end of a spring is stretched a distance \({x_0}\) from equilibrium and released. At what distance from equilibrium will it have (a) velocity equal to half its maximum velocity, and (b) acceleration equal to half its maximum acceleration?

How much longer (percentage) is a one-mile race than a 1500-mile race (“the metric mile”)?

What are the merits and drawbacks of using a person’s foot as a standard? Consider both (a) a particular person’s foot and (b) any person’s foot. Keep in mind that it is advantageous that fundamental standards be accessible (easy to compare to), invariable (do not change), indestructible and reproducible.

A block of mass M is suspended from a ceiling by a spring with spring stiffness constant k. A penny of mass m is placed on top of the block. What is the maximum amplitude of oscillations that will allow the penny to just stay on top of the block? (Assume \(m \ll M\).)
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

Quantum Physics

Read Explanation

Classical Mechanics

Read Explanation

Astrophysics

Read Explanation

Circular Motion and Gravitation

Read Explanation

Waves Physics

Read Explanation

Modern Physics

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free