Significant digits Definition and 51 Threads

(i) and (ii) makes sense to me but the answer key says (iv) is correct too, but shouldn't the answer be 2 significant figures for (iv). 2 and the first zero are significant if the lc is 100 kg as far as I understand

I have never been sure how to round it according to the rules. My steps: ##\sqrt{5 \cdot 9.81 \cdot 0.10-\frac{1}{4\cdot \pi \cdot 8.85 \cdot 10^{-12}}\frac{(1.0\cdot 10^{-6})^2}{0.150\cdot 0.10}}## In [ ] is number of significant digits using multiplication/adding etc. rules. ##\sqrt{5 \cdot...

I learned the basics of sigdigs in school, but that era has more in common with the pyramid of Giza than modern day. I was figuring the angle of a 3d-designed part in my head the other night. It's a cylindrical polyhedron with 32 faces (because 32 seemed like a good number). I didn't expect to...

I am using these rules to determine number of significant digits. (1) All trailing zeros following decimal are significant (2) All trailing zeros in a number without decimal point are not significant (3) All non-zero digits are significant It seems rule 2 will not apply here and therefore number...

Probably, to satisfy the significant digits rule for division, we should consider ##r = 5.0 \div 2.0##. But I'm unable to come up with a reason why significant digits rule should not apply to ##r= d \div 2##. Also, if we apply significant digits rule to this calculation then we loose accuracy...

If you read any introductory physics or chemistry course, in the very first chapter, you'll come across measurement, uncertainty, etc. There, you learn some rules about rounding off numbers, etc. One of the rules discussed there is that if you add/subtract two numbers with different decimal...

Homework Statement [/B] A 0.02 meters long conductor is placed perpendicular in a homogen magnetic field. Current through the conductor is changed. And we have measured the data here: How can we write the magnetic flux density the correct way? How do I know how many digits my answer should...

What does it mean to round to TWO SIGNIFICANT DIGITS? SAMPLE: Round 542,867.21054031 to two significant digits. Does this means to round to two decimal places or does it mean to round to the tens place?

Homework Statement I've been given a list of lengths of the side of a small metal sheet in the shape of a square. The length of the side of this square sheet varies with temperature. I have to calculate areas for each length and then calculate the average area. What should be the uncertainity...

Homework Statement Question on worksheet: What is the random uncertainty in this set of measurements? Use the instrumental uncertainty to limit the number of digits in your random uncertainty result. Data for dropping a pencil from a height of one meter using a stopwatch that measures to the...

Homework Statement An object of mass m = 2.3±0.1 kg is moving at a speed of v = 1.25±0.03 m/s. Calculate the kinetic energy (K = 1 /2mv2 ) of the object. What is the uncertainty in K? I am not exactly sure if I used the error equation correctly when I start using Δ(v2). Could someone verify my...

Hi, I've just had my first lab in physics and I'm having a bit of trouble understanding how to determine the significant figures of my final answers and transforming them in scientific notation. For example: Homework Statement [/B] I had to measure three sides of a parallelepiped with a...

This question just flew right into my head when I was in the mid of a shower :), and I cannot resist finding out the answer. Question: Why do we take the least number of significant digits when multiplying/ dividing, and the least number of decimal places when adding/subtracting? Thank you!

Homework Statement I am starting to confuse myself with the proper use of SF. I am to convert time from minutes to hours, keeping in mind proper SF Homework Equations conversion factor: 1 min = 1/60 hr The Attempt at a Solution The timing error is +/- 0.2 (1SF) = 0.003hr (1SF) 20.0...

Moderator's note: Thread moved to homework section. Thus no template. I have an exercise in which I have to calculate the Area from the following measurements: L = 22.1 ± 0.1 cm W = 7.3 ± 0.1 cm Of course, A = W * L = 161.33 but since I have a measurement with just 2 significant digits the...

A question posed as an example: converting 1.55 and 0.55 inches to cm. 1.55 * 2.5400000000... = 3.937 which rounds to 3.94 cm per the rules and 0.55 * 2.5400000000... = 1.397 which rounds to 1.4 cm per the rulesIf both inputs are known to the same precision (hundredth of an inch), why are the...

Homework Statement IF A is nxn matrix, and k(A)=||A||||A^-1|| then a large k(A) means the solution has more significant digits than is k(A) were small true or false? Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Well k(A) is defined as 10^(k) right so the larger the condition...

When dealing with the intermediate value of example: 570 +/- 100, how do you put this into it's final form? If I'm not mistaken, doesn't the uncertainty only contain 1 significant digit? Doesn't the uncertainty digit have to correspond to the final significant digit on the actual value as well...

A measured value of 35m is being multiplied by the countable number 3 (say you went 3 times around a track that was 35m long). What's the correct number of sigfigs in the answer? Method 1: 35 m x 3 = 105m = 110m By significant digits rules of multiplication, this would be 110m. (The 35m...

Homework Statement How many significant digits does the number 3568 +/- 42 have? Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution The true value is ranging between 3526 and 3610. Why is there two significant digits and not one? I can't even find a specific definition of significant...

Significant Digits Ruler -To what decimal point To what decimal point do I write the number 30 if the uncertainty is 0.0625? The ruler has 1/8 marks. Thank you :)

Homework Statement The problem asks us to find deceleration from 60km/h to 0km/h in 1,2 seconds.Homework Equations The speed formulasThe Attempt at a Solution I know how to apply the formula. However, in the problem, it is written 0km/h. How many significant digits is that? How many significant...

Homework Statement How do I know if a number has unlimited significant digits or not? do constants and molar masses and densities all have an unlimited number? does this mean i don't count it when i do my math, etc? Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution

Homework Statement 1) how do I know if the significant digit is supposed to be of " infinite sig-digs" ? If it is a constant value that is universally known, ike density then i understand that. But let's say i were to do ... 35+273.15 Homework Equations addition? The Attempt at a Solution...

Hi. I'm asked to convert 2 year into the SI Unit seconds: Known: 1 Hr = 3600 s 1 Day = 86400 s So using a calculator... 1 yr = 365*86,400 = 31,536,000 I want to express the answer in scientific notation: Because the lesser number on has 3 significant digits, the scientific...

I was looking at the value of Avogadro's number 6. 022 141 29(27)×1023 and was trying to figure out what exactly is meant by the parentheses at the end. I'll take a guess and say that the best determined value has these digits, but that the error is high enough so that only by using the...

It seems that there is a possible ambiguity in the number of significant digits if there are trailing 0's, but no decimal point or overline or underline. Specifically, I am looking at the definition of the second, which the Halliday & Resnick book has listed as 9 192 631 770 So is this 9...

Hi, I've just got a question about uncertainties that came up while doing a lab report. I have a set of data for currents required to cancel the deflection of an electron beam caused by the Earth's magnetic field: 0.195 A 0.220 A 0.250 A 0.251 A 0.239 A Because of the difficulty in...

Question on "estimated uncertainty" and significant digits Homework Statement The value is 136.52480, and the "estimated uncertainty" is 2. How many digits should be included as significant? Homework Equations Not sure whether estimated uncertainty refers to a 1σ (68.26%) confidence...

Homework Statement Here is a few examples where i am wondering as to how many significant digits to leave 3.5L/100km * 2279km = 79.765 ---> In this case am i supposed to round to 2 significant digits because of 3.5 which has two? 1.2L/100km * 63km = 0.756, i leave it as 0.76 right...

How many sig figs would be in the final answer of the following question. A car is driven 215 km west and then 85km southwest. What is the displacement of the car from the point of origin (magnitude and direction)? Now in the book they list the answer as 282km and 12 degrees south of west...

I'm reading my physics book and I found something confunsing. In one place my book says that 10,3 km have 5 significant digits (I concluded that is because 10,3 km is 10 300 m ) and in one place it says that 576 km/h has also 3 significant digits. Is it because km/h? How many significant digits...

Hi all. Let's say I have a set of data as follows (the mass of a sample of some chemical measured several times): 23.132 g 24.532 g 21.532 g 22.853 g 23.193 g (I just made that data up, but imagine that a analytical scale put out those numbers, exactly as shown, on its display.)...

Hello everyone: I am trying to figure out the how many significant figures (sf), should I keep in the final answer for multiplication and division 1. How many hours and minutes are 20 kiloseconds? 2. 3. for hours: 20*10e3 / 3600 = 5.5555 hrs 20 has only 1...

just a quick question... (not a HW question) i know that when you do multiplication/division between numbers you take the lowest amount of sig figs of the two and apply it to your answer... HOWEVER: what would be the answer for a question such as: 0.00420 x 60 = ? the first part has...

Homework Statement I was helping some chemistry student and there was a homework problem on converting Fahrenheit to Celsius. The first two were 16°F and 16.0°F which were easy, but the last one was 0.0°F which had me wondering about 0 and 0.0. Homework Equations C° = 5/9(°F - 32) or...

Homework Statement Suppose you conduct an experiment in which you find a certain measurement to be 0.1mm. We have already discussed in class that this number contains 1 significant digit (the "1" to the right of the decimal), but how many times would you have to conduct the experiment in order...

quick question, does significant digits really apply in the science world because in some years of science we had to use them and in another we didnt so what's the answer? Thanks in advance.

I have reasons to believe that my question asks to write the answer with 3 significant digits (i.e. the given numbers are with 3 digits). But there are several figures to be worked out, so I list them (for example): 3.45 3.89 7.90 ... 10.23 or 10.2 (or even 10.20)? The problem is that...

Homework Statement Ok so I am having difficulty doing significant digits for longer operations (i.e. cosine law) where you also have square roots and squares (I know they are simply multiplications) Homework Equations c^2 = a^2 + b^2 - 2ab(cosC) The Attempt at a Solution Here are...

[SOLVED] Significant Digits I know how to do significant digits, but was wondering about answers involving multiple equations. If I find acceleration first, then find net force, should I wait to round the answer until the end? a=vf-vi/t and then fnet=ma To reiterate, should I keep...

Let's us say I was given 100.0 kg of something. That number has 4 significant digits. Now let's say I wanted to convert that to grams. It would be 100,000g. but even if I write that as 100,000. it would be 6 significant digits. Is my only option for this case to write it in scientific...

like, major help I have no idea what to do when calculating significant digits and stuff like that those who help I thank very much so:smile:

Homework Statement Solve the following to the proper number of significant figures: a) A loaded truck has mass (2.12 X 10^4 +/- 6 X 10^2) kg and when empty, it has a mass of (1.72 X 10^4 +/- 5 X 10^2) kg. What is the relative uncertainty of the mass of the gravel dumped from the truck...

Homework Statement A 2.6 kg mass hangs at one end of a rope that is attached to a support on a railroad car. When the car accelerates to the right, the rope makes an angle of 8.5° with the vertical, as shown in Figure P4.68. Find the acceleration of the car.Homework Equations (Fnet)x=max...

I just started physics and have a few questions on significant digits. I have to put this number into scientific notation 2 999 900 My answer is 2.3 * 10 (to the power of 6) Is that right? My other question is 8.83/0.002 = "4415" To write it with sig digits I can only use one...

Just wondering if anyone could clarify what qualifies as an intermediate answer. Is this limited to answers within the same calculation, or all the answers from steps leading to the final one? ie. What is the current needed to produce 10.0g of lithium in 1.00h? Step 1: Determine moles of...

I apologize in advance if this topic does not belong in the section of the forum -- it was the closest match I could find. I am a grade 10 high school student (16 years old), and I was having a bit of a discussion with my science teacher (who was previously a chemical engineer). I respect...

A thread here asking about significant digits got me to thinking. I understand why they work the way they do with addition and subtraction, but multiplication and division are so easy that I've never bothered to think about it. So - can someone explain why a three s.d. number times a two...

hi guys... i'm taking an online course and i believe my work was marked wrong... State the number of significant digits. a) 0.0029550 m b) 7.050800 kN can someone please tell me the # of signifcant digits! is a) 4 or 5 and b) 5 or7 thanks guys...