Significant Figures
| Aspect | Details | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Types of Values | Exact (counted) vs Measured (contains uncertainty) | 3 pencils (exact), 17.05 cm (measured) |
| General Rules | Nonzero digits significant, leading zeros not significant, trailing zeros after decimal are significant | 100.8 (4 significant figures), 0.00290 (3 significant figures) |
| Examples | Scientific notation for clarity | 100.8 = 1.008 × 10² s, 0.00580 = 5.80 × 10⁻³ km, 210.0 = 2.100 × 10² g |
| Rounding Off Numbers | Rules for whole numbers and decimal numbers | Two Decimal Points: 3.876 → 3.88, 657.873 → 657.87, 0.0857 → 0.09 Three Significant Digits: 24.68 → 24.7, 0.07683 → 0.0768, 7,847 → 7,850 |