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Scientific Figures

General Physics 1

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James Hiro Geraldino
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21 views13 pages

Scientific Figures

General Physics 1

Uploaded by

James Hiro Geraldino
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SIGNIFICANT

FIGURES
WHAT IS
SIGNIFICANT
FIGURES
the number of digits in a
value, often in a
measuremen, that
contribute to the degree of
accuracy of the value.
RULES FORSIGNIFICANT
FIGURES
1 All non-zero numbers ARE significant.

2
Zeros between two non-zero digits ARE
significant.
3 Leading zeros are NOT significant.
4
Trailing zeros to the right of the decimal
ARE significant.
5
Trailing zeros in a whole number with the
decimal shown ARE significant.

6
Trailing zeros in a whole number with no
decimal shown are NOT significant.

7
For a number in scientific notation: N x 10x,
all digits comprising N ARE significant by
the first 6 rules; "10" and "x" are NOT
significant.
RULE 1
All non-zero numbers ARE significant.

Example 1
Example 2 Example 3

1234.5 4389.45 18736545


5 Significant 6 Significant 8 Significant
figures figures figures
RULE 2
Zeros between two non-zero digits ARE
significant.

Example 1
Example 2 Example 3

1004.5 40809.405 1080504


5 Significant 8 Significant 7 Significant
figures figures figures
RULE 3
Leading zeros are NOT significant.

Example 1
Example 2 Example 3

0.0055 0.001405 0.504


2 Significant 4 Significant 3 Significant
figures figures figures
RULE 4
Trailing zeros to the right of the decimal
ARE significant.

Example 1
Example 2 Example 3

50000.00 502.00 51402.00


7 Significant 5 Significant 7 Significant
figures figures figures
RULE 5
Trailing zeros in a whole number with the
decimal shown ARE significant.

Example 1
Example 2 Example 3

520120. 5020. 5140200.


6 Significant 4 Significant 7 Significant
figures figures figures
RULE 6
Trailing zeros in a whole number with no
decimal shown are NOT significant.

Example 1
Example 2 Example 3

520120 5020 8341200


5 Significant 3 Significant 5 Significant
figures figures figures
RULE 7
For a number in scientific notation: N x 10x, all
digits comprising N ARE significant by the first 6
rules; "10" and "x" are NOT significant
Example 1
Example 2 Example 3

5.20 X 10 3.1 X 10 8.30412 X 10


3 Significant 2 Significant 6 Significant
figures figures figures
ROUNDING
Mathematically, rounding has a more formal definition. The final digit (or
significant figure) of any number is actually an approximation. To round off a number
to N significant figures, the following rules apply:
1. If the digit to the right of the last digit you want to keep (that is, the first digit you
want to drop off, N+1) is less than 5, then drop it (and everything to its right.) The
value left behind is your rounded value.
2. If the digit in the N+1 place is greater than 5, then drop it (and everything to its
right), and raise the last remaining digit by 1.
3. If the digit in the N+1 place is equal to 5, drop it, and if the preceding (Nth) digit
is even -- leave N alone; if the Nth digit is odd, raise it by 1. This convention is
necessary to keep a set of numbers as "balanced" as possible; i.e., if you round
down for digits 1-5 (five cases) and up for 6-9 (only 4 cases), the sum of the
resulting numbers will be, on average, lower than the sum of the unrounded terms
[HUH??]
Examples:
1. Round 4.3127 to four significant figures. 4.3127 has 5 significant figures; we need to
drop the final "7". That leaves us 4.312. But following rule 1 above, we note that since
7 is greater than 5, we need to add 1 to the last number we're keeping (the 2.) So our
rounded number becomes 4.313.
You can appreciate that 4.313 is a better approximation of 4.3127 than 4.312 would
be. Since the "7" we dropped indicates that the true value of the number is "closer" to
4.313 than it is to 4.312, we've created a better approximation by making that
change.
2. Round 10.412 to three significant figures. 10.412 has 5 significant figures, so we get
rid of the last two. That leaves 10.4. The digit to the right of the "4" is 1 -- and 1 is less
than 5. So we leave the 4 alone. Our final estimate is 10.4.
3. Round 14.65 to three significant figures. Here, N+1 = 5. To decide what to do with 6
(our N), recall rule 3. If the number before the 5 is even, we leave it alone when we
drop the 5. 6 is even, so our final value is 14.6.
4. Round 1000.3 to four significant figures. This one's more complex, because it
involves zeros. The rules governing whether a digit qualifies as "significant" are more
THANK YOU
See you on Wednesday

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