Significant Figures
OBJECTIVES:
RECAP
• Rounding off whole numbers.
• Rounding off decimal numbers.
NEW CONTENT
• Define significant figures.
• State the rules of significant figures.
• Evaluate examples with significant figures.
ROUNDING WHOLE
NUMBERS
E
Rounding – to the nearest 10
4832 4837 195
5 or 5 or 5 or
No more? Yes more? Yes more?
4830 4840 200
E
Rounding – to the nearest 100
48231 5872 89
5 or 5 or 5 or
No more? Yes more? Yes more?
48200 5900 100
▪ Copy &
Number To nearest To nearest To nearest
complete 10 100 1000
7520 7500 8000
Your Turn
this table:
7 521 500 500 1000
503 3920 3900 4000
3 918 9900
9880 10000
9 875 450 500 0
452
ROUNDING DECIMALS
NUMBERS
D
Rounding to 1 Decimal Place (1DP)
4.8325 4.8425 4.852
5 or 5 or 5 or
No more? No more? Yes more?
4.8 4.8 4.9
4.87 0.06714 1.967
5 or 5 or 5 or
Yes more? Yes more? Yes more?
4.9 0.1 2.0
D
Rounding to Decimal Places: 2DP
4.8325 4.846 4.85951
5 or 5 or 5 or
No Yes more? Yes more?
more?
4.83 4.85 4.86
1.6949 5.2971 1.997
5 or 5 or 5 or
No Yes more? Yes more?
more?
1.69 5.30 2.00
D
Rounding to Decimal Places: 3DP
4.8325 4.8462 4.8595
5 or 5 or 5 or
Yes No more? Yes more?
more?
4.833 4.846 4.860
1.6942 5.2627 1.9999
5 or 5 or 5 or
No Yes more? Yes more?
more?
1.694 5.263 2.000
Rounding to Decimal Places
1DP 2DP 3DP
4.852 1.6949 5.2627
5 or 5 or 5 or
Yes more? No Yes
more? more?
4.9 1.69 5.263
▪ Copy &
Number To 1DP To 2DP To 3DP
complete
63.472 63.5 63.47 63.472
Your Turn
this table:
87.6564 87.7 87.66 87.656
149.9875 150.0 149.99 149.988
D 3.54029 3.5 3.54 3.540
0.59999 0.6 0.60 0.600
SIGNIFICANT
FIGURES
Significant Figures
❖ Significant figures of a number are
digits which contribute to the
precision of that number.
❖ Numbers that do not contribute
any precision and should not be
counted as a significant.
Rules of Significant Figures
1.All non-zero DIGITS ARE significant.
• The number 27.1 has THREE significant figures because the digits
present are non-zero.
1.Zeros between two non-zero digits ARE significant
• 2051 has FOUR significant figures. The zero is between a 2 and a 5.
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.
Trailing zeros with decimal ARE significant.
• There are FOUR significant figures in 92.00.
1.Trailing zeros in a whole number NOT significant.
• Writing just "540" indicates that the zero is NOT significant, and there
are only TWO significant figures in this value.
Rules of Significant Figures
1. All non-zero digits ARE significant.
Non-zero digits? 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
When are
zeros
significant?
C
Significant Figures: Important Zeros in Numbers
a. 5 2 0 0 0 Which zeros
matter?
b. 5 . 2 0 0 Are there any we
could get rid of
and still have the
same value?
c. 0 . 0 5 0
d. 0 2 . 5 0 When dealing with
Significant Figures, you need
to keep any zeros that tell us
the value of a number
Rules of Significant Figures
2. Zeros between two non-zero digits ARE significant
3. Trailing zeros with decimal ARE significant.
When are
zeros NOT
significant?
Rules of Significant Figures
4. Leading zeros are NOT significant
0.009 – 1sf
0.00784 – 3sf
5. Trailing zeros in a whole number NOT significant.
2500 – 2 sf
700 – 1 sf
Examples
C
Rounding to 1 Significant Figure (1SF)
0.0765 0.0012 1.0095
5 or 5 or 5 or
Yes No more? No more?
more?
0.08 0.001 1
241 587 75
5 or 5 or 5 or
No Yes more? Yes more?
more?
200 600 80
C
Rounding to 2 Significant Figure (2SF)
1472 1.4279 0.0535
5 or 5 or 5 or
Yes No more? Yes more?
more?
1500 1.4 0.054
42728 204478 0.0696
5 or 5 or 5 or
Yes No more? Yes more?
more?
43000 200000 0.070
C
Rounding to 3 Significant Figure (3SF)
0.02671 3.2949 34728
5 or 5 or 5 or
No No more? No more?
more?
0.0267 3.29 34700
13798 974978 12.069
5 or 5 or 5 or
Yes Yes more? Yes more?
more?
13800 975000 12.1
Rounding to Significant Figures
1SF 2SF 3SF
0.0765 42728 12.069
5 or 5 or 5 or
Yes Yes Yes more?
more? more?
0.08 43000 12.1
▪ Copy &
Number To 1SF To 2SF To 3SF
complete
6.3528 6.35 6.4 6
Your Turn
this table:
34.026 34.0 34 30
0.005708 0.00571 0.0057 0.006
C 150.932 151 150 200
0.0000783 0.0000784 0.000078 0.00008
5
SIGNIFICANT FIGURE
VIDEO RECAP
References:
❑ http://eridanus.cz/id32402/ve%282da/pr%282i%
281rodni%281_ve%282dy/matematika/_Knihy_/T
he%20World%20of%20Mathematics/Newman-Th
eWorldOfMathematicsVolume1_text.pdf
• Duncan Tom and Deniz Önaç, 1985. Physics for
the Caribbean. John Murray Ltd.
• DeFreitas, P (2016). Concise Revision Course CSEC
Physics. Harper Collins Publisher Limited.
