28 lines
1.3 KiB
Markdown
28 lines
1.3 KiB
Markdown
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---
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title: Rules of Significant Figures
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---
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## Rules of Significant Figures
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Significant figures of a number are all of the digits that carry meaning to the final representation of a measurement. They represent how precise the measurement is.
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The rules to find which digits of a number are significant figures:
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- All non-zero digits are significant
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- All zeros between non-sero digits are significant: 202, 2002, 20002
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- Leading zeros aren't significant
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- In a decimal number, all trailing zeros represent precision, and thusly are significant
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- In a non-decimal number, if there is a "." at the end, all figures to the left are significant (except leading zeros)
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#### Examples:
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* 0.05400 has [4] sig figs: 5, 4, 0 and 0
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* 0.0054090 has [5] sig figs: 5, 4, 0, 9, and 0
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* 100 has [1] sig fig: 1
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* 100.0 has [3] sig figs: 1, 0, and 0
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* More Information:
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### More Information
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* [wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Significant_figures)
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* [Khan Academy's video on sig figs](https://www.khanacademy.org/math/arithmetic-home/arith-review-decimals/arithmetic-significant-figures-tutorial/v/significant-figures)
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* [Purplemath guide to sig figs](https://www.purplemath.com/modules/rounding2.htm)
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* [nifty little sig fig calculator](https://www.omnicalculator.com/math/sig-fig)
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