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Week 1: Lecture 2: Significant Figures

This document discusses significant figures and how they are used in calculations. It defines significant figures as the meaningful digits in a measurement, with the leftmost non-zero digit being the most significant and any digits to the right being less significant. Calculations with measurements preserve the least significant figures. Scientific notation is introduced to normalize large and small numbers. Examples are given of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division while properly handling significant figures.

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Amirul Fadlin
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35 views

Week 1: Lecture 2: Significant Figures

This document discusses significant figures and how they are used in calculations. It defines significant figures as the meaningful digits in a measurement, with the leftmost non-zero digit being the most significant and any digits to the right being less significant. Calculations with measurements preserve the least significant figures. Scientific notation is introduced to normalize large and small numbers. Examples are given of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division while properly handling significant figures.

Uploaded by

Amirul Fadlin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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WEEK 1

Lecture 2 : Significant Figures

Significant Figures
All non-zero digits are significant.
The leftmost nonzero digit is the first or most
significant figure. For example, 0.02340, the first
significant figure is the 2.
If there is a decimal point, the rightmost digit is the
last or least significant figure. For example, in
0.02340 the first two zeros from the left are not
significant but the zero after the 4 is significant.

If there is no decimal point explicitly shown, the


rightmost non-zero digit is the least significant
figure. For example, in 3400 the 4 is the least
significant figure since neither zero is significant in
this case.
All digits between the most significant figure and the
least significant figure are significant. For example,
6.07 has three significant figures

WHICH NUMBERS ARE SIGNIFICANT?


Evaluate the number of significant figures.
In this table the significant figures are underlined.

3 significant figures 4 significant figures 5 significant figures

23.4
2.34
0.234

345.6
3.456
0.03456

678.90

Note that the zeros in 0.234 and 0.03456 are NOT significant figures.

SCIENTIFIC NOTATION
Standard decimal
notation
2
300

Normalized scientific
notation
2 100
3 102

4,321.768
53,000
6,720,000,000
0.2
0.000 000 007 51

4.321768 103
5.3 104
6.72 109
2 101
7.51 109

PRINCIPLE #1
When adding or subtracting quantities, the rule is
to determine which number in the calculation has
the least number of digits to the right of the
decimal point. Your result will have that same
number of digits to the right of the decimal point.
In multiplication and division, the value with the
fewest significant figures will determine how far
the significant figures should be carried in the
answer.

CALCULATIONS
Addition
26.46
+ 4.123
30.583
30.58
Multiplication
2.61 x 1.2 = 3.132
Round to: 3.1

Subtraction
2.634
- 0.02
2.614
2.61
Division
2.61 / 1.2 = 2.175
Round to: 2.2

PRINCIPLE #2
If you are using constants which are not exact (such
as = 3.14 or 3.142 or 3.14159) select the constant
that has at least one or more significant figures than
the smallest number of significant figures in your
original data.

Conversion Unit

What is the cost for energy consumed when


consuming a 60 W computer for 3 hours?
E = 600/1000 kW 3 h = 1.8 kWh
= 1800 W 3600 s
= 6.48 106 J
Cost = 21.8 sen 1.8 kWh = 39 sen

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