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Understanding Significant Figures: Importance and Rules

Significant figures play a crucial role in ensuring accuracy in scientific measurements. They allow us to communicate the precision of our information clearly. The basic rules include: all nonzero numbers count; zeros between nonzeros are significant; trailing zeros are not significant without a decimal point; and leading zeros are never significant. When multiplying or dividing, the result must reflect the least number of significant figures among the measurements. For addition and subtraction, the result should maintain the same number of decimal places as the measurement with the fewest decimals.

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Understanding Significant Figures: Importance and Rules

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  1. Significant Figures

  2. Why care? • Allows us to be accurate with the information we actually have.

  3. Rules • All nonzero numbers are significant. • Ex: 432 = 3 sig figs • 0’s between nonzero numbers are significant Ex: 401 = 3 sig figs • Trailing zeros are not significant unless there is a decimal point. Ex: 4000 = 1 sig fig Ex: 400.0 = 4 sig figs • Leading zeros are not significant. Ex: 0.000302 = sig figs

  4. Multiplying and Dividing Measurements • The answer will have the same number of sig figs as the measurement with the least amount of sig figs. Ex: 5.00 g / 2.5 mL = 2.0 g/mL 5.00 g / 2.500 mL = 2.00 g/mL

  5. Adding and Subtracting Measurements • The answer will have the same amount of numbers after the decimal as the measurement with the least amount of numbers after the decimal. • Ex: 4.38 g + 4.2 g = 8.58 g = 8.6 g • 8.73 mL – 2.224 mL = 6.51 mL

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