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SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
All measurements are approximations—no measuring device can give perfect measurements without experimental uncertainty. By convention, a mass measured to 13.2 g is said to have an absolute uncertainty of plus or minus 0.1 g and is said to have been measured to the nearest 0.1 g. In other words, we are somewhat uncertain about that last digit—it could be a "2"; then again, it could be a "1" or a "3". A mass of 13.20 g indicates an absolute uncertainty of plus or minus 0.01 g.
What are significant Figures? The significant figures in a measurement Consist of all the digits known with certainty plus one final digit, which is uncertain or is estimated.
Your reading might be 76 ml. But, how sure are you that it is really 76 ml? Is it possible that it’s also 75.99 or 76.01? CERTAIN VALUE: 75 UNCERTAIN VALUE: 0.99~1.1
What is Accuracy? • Accuracy - a measure of how close a measurement is to the true value of the quantity being measured. ►Who is more accurate when measuring a book that has a true length of 17.0cm? • Andrea: • 17.0cm, 16.0cm, 18.0cm, 15.0cm • Amy: • 15.5cm, 15.0cm, 15.2cm, 15.3cm
What is Precision? • Precision – a measure of how close a series of measurements are to one another. A measure of how exact a measurement is. • ►Who is more precise when measuring the same 17.0cm book? • Andrea: • 17.0cm, 16.0cm, 18.0cm, 15.0cm • Amy: • 15.5cm, 15.0cm, 15.2cm, 15.3cm
Rules For Significant Figures • Significant figures are used for measured numbers and for numbers derived from measurements; does not include • definitions (ex. 1000ml=1L) or • counting numbers (ex. 1,2,3 etc) 10 mm = 1cm = (2 significant figures) 100cm = 1m = (3 significant figures) 1000g = 1kg= (4 significant digits)
2. Digits from 1-9 are always significant. Ex. 2342 = 4 significant figures 25 = 2 significant figures 23.42 = 4 significant figures
3. Zeros between two other significant digits are always significant. Ex. 5 055 g = 4 significant figures 207 ml = 3 significant figures
4. One or more additional zeros to the right of both the decimal place and another significant digit are significant. • Ex. 5.00 = 3 significant figures 50.05 = 4 significant figures 50.50 = 4 significant figures
5. Zeros used solely for spacing the decimal point (placeholders) are not significant. Ex. 0.007 (1 significant figure) 1000 ( 1 significant figure) 0.015 ( 2 significant figures)
6. Exact numbers have an infinite number of significant digits but they are generally not reported. All non zero digits are significant. Ex. 2 ( 1 significant figure) 453 (3 significant figures)
It’s Your Turn To Try! • How many significant figures do the following numbers have?
1.) 4 2.) 2 3.) 2 4.) 4 5.) 5 6.) 8 7.) 3 8.) 2 9.) 6 10.)2 11.) 1 12.) 6 13.) 1 14.) 3 15.) 3
Assignment: Determine the number of significant digits in the following numbers. 1) 5600 _____ 2) 45.00_____ 3) 105.0_____ 4) 0.00565_____ 5) 0.005400_____ 6) 89.543_____ 7) 5, 056, 300_____ 8) 95.0540_____ 9) 93, 000, 000_____ 10) 21.35_____