SIGNIFICANT FIGURES

Significant figures

Significant digits are the digits in a number that

express the precision of a measurement.

There are rules in identifying significant digits.

which are significant?

All non-zero digits are significant.

2781 - 4 significant digits

82.973 - 5 significant digits

2.34 - 3 significant digits

which are significant?

All zeros between significant digits are also

significant

201 - 3 significant digits

70.009 - 5 significant digits

2.304 - 4 significant digits

 which are significant?

Trailing zeros to the right of a decimal point are

significant

4. 0420 - 5 significant digits

1. 300 - 3 significant digits

5. 0 - 2 significant digits
 which are significant?

All non-zero digits Zeros between non- Trailing zeros to the

are significant. zeros are significant. right of the decimal
point are significant.

7004. 040200
 which are not significant?
Trailing zeros to the left of the decimal point. (note:
these zeros may or may not be significant)

0. 1 - 1 significant digits

0. 10 - 2 significant digits

3200 . - 2 significant digits

 which are not significant?

Leading zeros to the right of the decimal point.

0. 014 - 2 significant digits

0. 0010 - 2 significant digits

0. 0002 - 1 significant digit

 which are not significant?

Trailing zeros to the

left of the decimal Leading zeros to the
point. right of the decimal
point.

51000 0. 004709
 Counting significant digits

10.0075

There are 6 significant digits. The zeros are all

between significant digits.
 Counting significant digits

10.007500

There are 8 significant digits. In this case the

trailing zeros are to the right of the decimal point.
 Counting significant digits

 0.0075

There are 2 significant digits. The zeros shown are

only place holders.
 Counting significant digits

5000

There is only 1 significant digit. The zeros are place

holders.
 Counting significant digits

5000.00

There are 6 significant digits. The zeros to the right

of the decimal point are significant because they are
trailing zeros to the right of a decimal point. The
zeros to the right of the 5 are significant because
they are between significant digits.
 Counting the significant digits

102 = ______

0.005 = ______

0.043 = ______

90 = ______

2006 = ______
 Counting the significant digits

0.0008 = ______

42.737 = ______

870 = ______

4100 = ______

0.0069 = ______
scientific notation
 scientific notation

Scientific Notation is the way that scientists

easily handle very large numbers or very small
numbers.

It makes it easy to use big and small values.

 scientific notation

The number is written in two parts:

• Just the digits, with the decimal point placed after the first
digit, and

• × 10 to a power that puts the decimal point where it should

be.

3
5.324 × 10
 scientific notation

Check the exponent.

Positive moves decimal
3 to the right.
5.324 × 10
Move the decimal 3 places to the right.
5324 . 0

Negative moves -3
decimal to the left. 5.324 × 10
Move the decimal 3 places to the left.

0 .005324
scientific notation standard form

120 × 10 -6 0. 00012

19.3 × 10 3 19300
scientific notation Significant Figures
standard form

108 × 10 9 108000000000 3

70.0 × 10 -8 0. 00000070 2
 Count the significant figures then state
Write in standard form the Specific rule

9.978 x 10 9 =

4.4 x 10 -2 =

6.5404 x 10 -6 =

4.077 x 10 -4 =

4.19 x 10 -3
 Count the significant figures then state
Write in standard form the Specific rule

7.007 x 10 1 =

3.3938 x 10 -8 =

6.09 x 10 6 =

7.58 x 10 -5 =

8.333 x 10 -7 =
 Write in scientific notation Count the significant figures then state
the Specific rule

700170 =

723 =

64071 =

0.00058 =

31342 =
 Write in scientific notation Count the significant figures then state
the Specific rule

87802000 =

0.000000001590 =

9878 =

216300000 =

0.61613
 scientific notation problems

The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second, or about

671,000,000 miles per hour. How would you express these
numbers in scientific notation?
 scientific notation problems

The speed of sound depends on the type of medium and the

temperature of the medium it is traveling through. The speed
of sound in dry air at 15° C (59° F) is about 763 miles per
hour. Rewrite this number in scientific notation.
 scientific notation problems

A human heart beats an average of 80 beats per minute. How

many beats is this in an hour? Express your answer in
scientific notation. .
 scientific notation problems

The average person blinks 20 times per minute. How many

times does the average person blink in an hour? Put your
answer in scientific notation.

How many times does a person blink in 16 hours? Express

your answer in scientific notation.
 scientific notation problems

The radius of a hydrogen atom is 2.5 x 10-11 m. Express this

number in standard notation.
 scientific notation problems

The number of molecules in 1 gram of water is 3.34 x 1022 .

Express this number in standard notation.