Significant figures

International System of Units

Name Symbol Quantity

Meter m Length

Kilogram kg Mass

Second s Time

Ampere A Electric current

Thermodynamic
Kelvin K
temperature

Candela cd Luminous intensity

Mole mol Amount of substance

• The International System of Units (SI) is a revised and

modernized descendent of the metric system of measurement
and is used for scientific work throughout the world.

• Although we still use traditional measurements for everyday purposes, they

must be converted to SI measurements for legal and official purposes in most
countries.
 What is a significant figure?

There are two kinds of numbers:

 Exact: The amount of money in your account. A

value that is known with certainty.

 Approximate: Mass, height or anything that is

measured.

• No measurement is perfect, they are always

approximate. They depend on the precision of the
measuring instrument. For example, the smallest
markings on most rulers indicate millimeters.

• A significant figure is an accurate digit.

 What is a significant figures?
Example:
You measure the width of a paper with your
ruler and you record 27.1 cm

• To a mathematician 27.10, or 27.100 is the

same. However, to a scientist it is not the same.
27.100 cm means the measurement is accurate
to within one thousandth of a cm.
• When writing an answer in physics (or other
sciences) you must use significant numbers. In
order to find out what numbers are significant you
have to follow some rules.
 Rules for significant figures
Rule # 1 – All non zero numbers are significant.

Examples:

125 3 significant figures

3 1 significant figure
52 2 significant figures
2894 4 significant figures

Rule # 2 – All zeros between non zero numbers are significant.

Examples:

1009 4 significant figures

502 3 significant figures
74056 5 significant figures
60.8 3 significant figures
 Rules for significant figures
Rule # 3 – All trailing zeros are not significant if there isn’t a decimal.

Examples:

20 1 significant number
300 1 significant number
150 2 significant numbers
20000 1 significant number

Rule # 4 – If a zero and only a zero comes before a decimal, it is not significant.

Examples:

0.95 2 significant figures

0.4003 4 significant figures
0.2 1 significant figures
0.008 1 significant figure
 Rules for significant figures
Rule # 5 – All zeros after a non zero number and after a decimal are significant.

Examples:

6.0003 5 significant figures

0.9300 4 significant figures
5.00 3 significant figures
0.0070 2 significant figures

• In general a calculated answer cannot be more precise than the least precise
measurement from which it is calculated.
• The saying: “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link” explains well the way
calculations with significant numbers work.
• Sometimes calculated measurements need to be rounded off to abide by the rules of
significant figures.
 Calculating with significant figures

Addition and Subtraction

Rule – When adding or subtracting with significant figures, the answer can have no more
places after the decimal than the least of the measured numbers.

Examples:

4.8
-3.965
0.835 = 0.8
 Calculating with significant figures

Examples (cont.):

You measure three different objects and want to add them

together. One object measures 2.5 m, the other 143 cm and
the other 2.198 m.

Once you add them together: 2.5 m + 1.43 m + 2.198 m = 6.128

Your answer will round to 1 decimal place because that is the

least of the measured numbers.

6.1 is your answer

 Calculating with significant figures

Multiplication and division

Rule – When multiplying or dividing, the result can have no more significant figures than
the least reliable measurement.

Examples:

Three significant
Three significant
figures
figures

278
= 23.7601 = 23.8
11.70
Four significant
figures
 Calculating with significant figures

Examples:

6.38 X 2.0 = 12.76 = 13 (2 significant figures)

2.5 X 2.0 = 3.325 = 3.3 (2 significant figures)

100.0 23.7 = 4.2194 = 4.22 (3 significant figures)

710 3.0 = 236.6666 = 240 (2 significant figures)

0.02 X 2.371 = 0.04742 = 0.05 (2 significant figures)

 Calculating with significant figures

Combined operations

If products or quotients are to be added or subtracted, perform the multiplication

or division first, establish the correct number of significant figures in the sub
answer, perform the addition or subtraction, then round to the proper number of
significant figures.

Example:

(7.50 3) – (2.0 X 5)
(2.5) – (10)
-7.5 = - 8