Rounding up numbers;

Scientific form
Marija Lovrić
 Decimal places vs Significant figure

There are two ways to round up a number by using fewer digits.

1. Specific number of decimal places

Example 1. 324.2678
• In 3 d.p. -> 324.268
• In 2 d.p. -> 324.27
• In 1 d.p. -> 324.3
*We can also round up before decimal point.
• To the nearest integer -> 324
• To the nearest 10 -> 320
• To the nearest 100 -> 300
 Decimal places vs Significant figure

2. Specific number of significant figures

*We start counting from the first non-zero digit.*

Example 1. 324.2678
• In 6 s.f. -> 324.268 *In the final IB
exams the
• In 5 s.f. -> 324.27 requirement is to
• In 4 s.f. -> 324.3 give the answers
either in exact
• In 3 s.f. -> 324 form or in 3 s.f.

• In 2 s.f. -> 320

• In 1 s.f. -> 300
 Decimal places vs Significant figure

Example 2. Consider the number 0.03486015

in decimal places in significant figures

• in 6 d.p. -> 0.034860 • in 6 s.f. 0.0348602

• in 5 d.p. -> 0.03486 • in 5 s.f. 0.034860
• in 4 d.p. -> 0.0349 • in 4 s.f. 0.03486
• in 3 d.p. -> 0.035 • in 3 s.f. 0.0349
• in 2 d.p. -> 0.04 • in 2 s.f. 0.035
 Scientific form

Any number can be written in the form:

𝑎 × 10𝑘 , 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 1 ≤ 𝑎 ≤ 10.

For example:
->5432.67 can be written as 5.43267 × 103

->0.000354 can be written as 3.54 × 10−4

->4507 can be written as 4.507 × 103

 Scientific form

• Example 1.
a) Give the scientific form of the numbers
𝑎 = 3005, 𝑏 = 2445.1, 𝑐 = 0.00635, 𝑑 = 0.325.
b) Give the standard form of the numbers
𝑒 = 3.501 × 102 , 𝑓 = 3.501 × 105 , 𝑔 = 3.501 × 10−3 .

• Example 2.
Consider 𝑥 = 2 × 104 , 𝑦 = 7 × 104 . Give 𝑥 + 𝑦 and 𝑥𝑦 in scientific form.

• Example 3.
Consider 𝑥 = 2 × 104 , 𝑦 = 7 × 106 . Give 𝑥 + 𝑦 and 𝑥𝑦 in scientific form.
 Scientific form

SOLUTIONS

• Example 1.
a) 𝑎 = 3.005 × 103 , 𝑏 = 2.4451 × 103 , 𝑐 = 6.35 × 10−3 , 𝑑 = 3.25 × 10−1
b) 𝑒 = 350.1, 𝑓 = 350100, 𝑔 = 0.003501

• Example 2.
𝑥 + 𝑦 = 9 × 104 , 𝑥𝑦 = 1.4 × 109
• Example 3.
𝑥 + 𝑦 = 7.02 × 106 , 𝑥𝑦 = 1.4 × 1011