Significant digits are digits that express the accuracy for a measurement.
The most significant digit in a number is the first nonzero digit in the number from left. For example, in the number 439.205, 4 is the most significant digit though 9 is the largest digit, because 4 represents 4 hundreds whereas 9 represent 9 ones.
There are 4 significant digits in the number 52,790.
5, 2, 7, 9 are the significant digits
There is only one significant digit in the number 0.0001 - only 1 is a significant digit.
A. 2
B. 1
C. 4
D. 3
Correct Answer: D
Step 1: The unit of measure used in the measurement is 0.01 cm. 407 such units give 4.07 cm.
Step 2: So the significant digits in the measurement are 4, 0, and 7 and thus there are 3 significant digits in the given measurement.
Q1: How many significant digits are in the number 0.004020?
Q2: How many significant digits are in the number 12,000?
Q3: How many significant digits are in the number 12,000.0?
Q: Why are significant digits important?
A: Significant digits ensure that calculations do not imply a level of precision that is not present in the original measurements. They help maintain the accuracy of scientific and engineering calculations.
Q: How do I determine the number of significant digits in a number?
A: Follow the rules: all non-zero digits are significant; zeros between non-zero digits are significant; leading zeros are not significant; trailing zeros in a decimal number are significant; trailing zeros in a whole number are not significant (unless a decimal point is indicated).
Q: What happens when multiplying or dividing numbers with different numbers of significant digits?
A: The result should have the same number of significant digits as the number with the fewest significant digits in the calculation.
Q: What happens when adding or subtracting numbers with different numbers of significant digits?
A: The result should have the same number of decimal places as the number with the fewest decimal places in the calculation.