What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you master
the measurements. The scope of this module permits it to be used in many different
learning situations. The language used recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of
students. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course. But
the order in which you read them can be changed to correspond with the textbook you
are now using.

The module has one lesson, namely:

 Lesson 1 – Least Concept to Estimate Error

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Use the least count concept to estimate errors associated with single
measurements.
 What I Know

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of
paper.

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of
paper.

1. Considering the correct number of significant figures, evaluate the

following operation, 3.73 x 5.7 = _____.
a. 21 c. 21.26
b. 21.00 d. 21.261

2. Compute 3.24 m + 0.532 m to the correct number of significant figures.

a. 3.77 c. 3.8
b. 3.772 d. 4.00

3. The sum of 1.04 + 2.1135 + 3.1 + 3.403 is_____

a. 9.6565 c. 9.66
b. 9.6 d. 9.70

4. Solve: 7.45 x 108 + 4.97 x 10-2 – 6.67 x 105 is equal to___

a. 7443.33 x 105 c. 7.44333 x 10-2
b. 7.44 x 108 d. 7443.330000497

5. Which of the following examples illustrates a number that is correctly

rounded to three significant figures?
a. 0.03954 g to 4.040 g c. 20.0332 g to 20.0 g

b. 4.05438 g to 4.054 g d. 103.692 g to 103.7 g

6. Which of the following numbers contains the designated CORRECT
number of significant figures?
a. 0.00302 2 significant figures
b. 0.04300 5 significant figures
c. 1.04 2 significant figures
d. 3.0560 4 significant figures
e. 156 000 3 significant figures

7. A calculator answer of 423.6059 must be rounded off to three significant

figures. What answer is reported?
a. 420 b. 423 c. 423.6 d. 423.7 e. 424

8. Which of the following is CORRECT?

a. 2.450 x 107 rounded to two significant digits 2.4 x 107
b. 3.56 rounded to two significant digits is 3.6
c. 77.889 x 106 rounded to three significant digits is 77.8 x 106
d. 122.5 rounded to two significant digits is 120

9. The following observations have been made: 64.52, 3.0, 11.081. the
correctly written sum is
a. 78.6
b. 78.60
c. 78.6010
d. 79
 10. The quantity 0.245 x 36.74 / 200.0 = 0.045007, computed from
measured values, should be written in an engineering report as

a. 0.04500 c. 4.50 x 10-2

b. 4.5 x 10-2 d. 5 x 10-2

11. The mass of a watch glass was measured four times. The masses were
99.997 g, 100.008 g, 100.001 g, 100.005 g. What is the average mass of the
watch glass?
a. 100.00 g c. 100.005 g
b. 100.01 g d. 100.00525 g

12. When performing the calculation 34.530 g + 12.1 g + 1 222.34 g, the

final answer must have
a. only one decimal place c. three significant figures
b. three decimal places d. unit of g3

13. How many significant figures are in the measurement of 102 400
meters?
a. three b. four c. five d. six

14. 923 g is divided by 20 312 cm3

a. 0.045 g/cm3 c. 0.0454 g/cm3
b. 4.00 x 10-2 g/cm3 d. 0.04 g/cm3

15. Complete the following problem: A piece of stone has a mass of 24.595
grams and a volume of 5.34 cm 3. What is the density of the stone?
(remember that density = m/v)

a. 0.22 cm3/g

b. 4.606 g/cm3

c. 4.61 g/cm3
 d. 0.217 cm3/g

Lesson

1 Measurement

It is important to be honest when reporting a measurement, so that it does not appear

to be more accurate than the equipment used to make the measurement allows. We
can achieve this by controlling the number of digits, or significant figures, used to
report the measurement.

Measurement values are only as accurate as the measurement equipment used to

collect them. For example, measuring meters with a meter stick is rather accurate;
measuring millimeters (1/1,000 of a meter) with a meter stick is inaccurate. Using
significant figures helps prevent the reporting of measured values that the
measurement equipment is not capable of determining. A significant figure is
comprised of the fewest digits capable of expressing a measured value without losing
accuracy. As the sensitivity of the measurement equipment increases, so does the
number of significant figures. Knowing the rules for working with significant figures
can help your students. “Rounding” numbers is the usual method of achieving
significant figures. Once the appropriate number of significant figures for any
measurement, calculation, or equation is determined, students can practice rounding
their answers appropriately.

What’s In

Compare and contrast accuracy and precision; random and systematic error.
 Notes to the Teacher
It is significant that learners had background on the use of
integers, decimal, exponent, mathematical operations.

What’s New

To determine the number of significant figures in a number use

the following 3 rules:
1. Non-zero digits are always significant
2. Any zeros between two significant digits are significant
3. A final zero or trailing zeros in the decimal portion ONLY are significant
Example:  .500 or .632000 the zeros are significant
                 .006  or .000968 the zeros are NOT significant
 

For addition and subtraction use the following rules:

1. Count the number of significant figures in the decimal portion ONLY of each
number in the problem
2. Add or subtract in the normal fashion
3. Your final answer may have no more significant figures to the right of the
decimal than the LEAST number of significant figures in any number in the
problem.
 

For multiplication and division use the following rule:

 1. The LEAST number of significant figures in any number of the problem
determines the number of significant figures in the answer. (You are now
looking at the entire number, not just the decimal portion)
*This means you have to be able to recognize significant figures in order to use this
rule*
      Example: 5.26 has 3 significant figures
                      6.1 has 2 significant figures

What is It

Rules for Significant Figure

1. All non-zero numbers ARE significant. The number 33.2 has THREE significant
figures because all of the digits present are non-zero.
2. Zeros between two non-zero digits ARE significant. 2051 has FOUR significant
figures. The zero is between a 2 and a 5.
3. Leading zeros are NOT significant. They're nothing more than "place holders." The
number 0.54 has only TWO significant figures. 0.0032 also has TWO significant
figures. All of the zeros are leading.
4. Trailing zeros to the right of the decimal ARE significant. There are FOUR
significant figures in 92.00.
92.00 is different from 92: a scientist who measures 92.00 milliliters knows his value
to the nearest 1/100th milliliter; meanwhile his colleague who measured 92 milliliters
only knows his value to the nearest 1 milliliter. It's important to understand that
"zero" does not mean "nothing." Zero denotes actual information, just like any other
number. You cannot tag on zeros that aren't certain to belong there.
5. Trailing zeros in a whole number with the decimal shown ARE
significant. Placing a decimal at the end of a number is usually not done. By
convention, however, this decimal indicates a significant zero. For example, "540."
indicates that the trailing zero IS significant; there are THREE significant figures in
this value.
6. Trailing zeros in a whole number with no decimal shown are NOT
significant. Writing just "540" indicates that the zero is NOT significant, and there are
only TWO significant figures in this value.
7. Exact numbers have an INFINITE number of significant figures. This rule
applies to numbers that are definitions. For example, 1 meter = 1.00 meters = 1.0000
meters = 1.0000000000000000000 meters, etc.

So now back to the example posed in the Rounding Tutorial: Round 1000.3 to four

significant figures. 1000.3 has five significant figures (the zeros are between non-zero
digits 1 and 3, so by rule 2 above, they are significant.) We need to drop the final 3,
and since 3 < 5, we leave the last zero alone. so 1000. is our four-significant-figure
answer. (from rules 5 and 6, we see that in order for the trailing zeros to "count" as
significant, they must be followed by a decimal. Writing just "1000" would give us only
one significant figure.)
8. For a number in scientific notation: N x 10 x, all digits comprising N ARE
significant by the first 6 rules; "10" and "x" are NOT significant. 5.02 x 104 has
THREE significant figures: "5.02." "10 and "4" are not significant.
Rule 8 provides the opportunity to change the number of significant figures in a value
by manipulating its form. For example, let's try writing 1100 with THREE significant
figures. By rule 6, 1100 has TWO significant figures; its two trailing zeros are not
significant. If we add a decimal to the end, we have 1100., with FOUR significant
figures (by rule 5.) But by writing it in scientific notation: 1.10 x 103, we create a
THREE-significant-figure value.
 What’s More

A. How many significant figures are in each of the following

numbers?

1. 1.234

2. 1.2340

3. 1.234 x 10-3

4. 1.2340 x 10-3

5. 1234

6. 12340

7. 0.012340

8. 12.34

9. 123.4

10. 1.23400 x 10-5

B. Express the following number in scientific notation with

correct significant figure.

1. 900 000 (3SF)

2. 3400 (2SF)
3. 45 (3SF)
4. 0.815 (2SF)
5. 0.00891 (2SF)
6. 4 500 (2SF)
7. 0.00766 (1SF)
8. 56 000 (2SF)
9. 34 000 (3SF)

10.8930 (4SF)