ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE APPROXIMATIONS WHOSE ACCURACY IS INDICATED BY THE NUMBER OF SIGNIFICANT FIGURES THEY CONTAIN.

FIGURES (DIGITS) DEFINITELY KNOWN OR OBSERVED PLUS ONE ESTIMATED FIGURE (DIGIT)

FOR EXAMPLE THE MEASUREMENTS BELOW; IF YOU WOULD TAKE A READING OF THE FOLLOWING POINTS A, B, C YOU SHOULD GET THE FOLLOWING READINGS;


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A = 1.27   B = 2.40       C = 3.00

IF A ZERO REPRESENTS A MEASURED QUANTITY, IT IS A SIGNIFICANT FIGURE. IF IT MERELY LOCATES THE DECIMAL POINT, IT IS NOT A SIGNIFICANT FIGURE!

1.4 X 104 INDICATES 2 SIGNIFICANT FIGURES

1.40 X 104 INDICATES 3 SIGNIFICANT FIGURES

1.400 X 104 INDICATES 4 SIGNIFICANT FIGURES

GIVEN THE FOLLOWING READINGS, HOW MANY SIGNIFICANT FIGURES DOES EACH NUMBER HAVE?

0.0360 = _______________

4011 = _______________

4010 = _______________

0.000206 = _______________

CHECK YOUR ANSWERS IN APPENDIX A