PRECISION AND ACCURACY,

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

and SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
Prepared by: CHING B. GATDULA II
A violet solid material was heated, a gas was released
and a white crystalline solid was produced. How do
we classify the original substance?

a. element. b. compound c. metal d. nonmetal

A grayish substance was heated, and a violet gas was

produced. Upon cooling, the material regained its
original color. What is the classification of the original
substance?

a. element. b. compound c. metal d. nonmetal

Consider the following reactions:
A. White crystal black solid + colorless gas
B. Very dark violet crystals violet gas + violet crystals
C. Red powder silvery liquid + colorless gas
Which chemical is classified as ELEMENT?
a. The white crystal.
b. The dark violet crystal.
c. The red powder.
d. White crystal and red powder.
When you measure a certain volume of clear liquid (ex. water) in a
graduated cylinder, one must locate the
a. Lower meniscus of the liquid.
b. Upper meniscus of the liquid.
c. Median between upper and lower meniscus.
d. Capacity of the graduated cylinder.

A certain substance Q when heated in the presence of air increases in

mass. The oxide solution turns red litmus paper to blue. Which of the
following statements correctly describes substance Q?
e. Substance Q has impurities.
f. Substance Q is a metallic element.
g. Substance Q is an organic compound.
h. Substance Q is a nonmetallic element.
 BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Modern science started with the invention of suitable
devices for measuring. These devices enable man not only
to measure precisely but also to use mathematical ideas in
getting real meaning from these observations. IN
SCIENTIFIC TERMINOLOGY, PHYSICAL
MEASUREMENTS IS CALLED METROLOGY.
Two factors that affect the degree of accuracy of
measurements
1.Ability to use the measuring instruments properly.
(gross error.)
2.The precision of the instruments. (systematic
error.)
Three kinds of numbers are encountered in chemistry and in
everyday life—
a. counted,
b. defined,
c. measured.
Counted items are expressed as exact whole numbers (e.g., 5 test
tubes, 12 books).
Defined relations are exact numbers but are not always whole
numbers. These numbers come from definition.
For example, there are exactly 12 inches per foot, or there are 2.54
centimeters in one inch.
Measured numbers, on the other hand, are those that are obtained
from reading measuring devices (tools of the trade), these numbers
are never exact. All the digits that are part of a measurement are
considered significant figures or significant digits.
 Thenumber of significant figures of a measurement
increases as the sensitivity of the equipment used is
improved. The uncertainty of an equipment is
expressed as a ± value.
 A top-loading balance has an uncertainty of ±0.01 g
top-loading balance: 1.54 ±0.01 g 3 significant figures
 analytical balance: 1.541 ±0.001 g 4 significant
figures
GOOD MEASUREMENTS SHOULD
BOTH BE:
1.ACCURATE = The closeness of a
single measurement comes to the
actual dimension or true value of
whatever is measured.
2.PRECISE = how close several
measurements are to the same value.
Accuracy – how close a measurement is to the true value
Precision – how close a set of measurements are to each other

accurate precise Inaccurate

& but &
precise Inaccurate Imprecise

1.8
 The plot presents the results of six measurements of the
weight of a pebble whose true weight is 8.0 g. Determine
whether each measurement is accurate or inaccurate, and
precise or imprecise.

Accurate and precise Accurate and imprecise

Inaccurate and Imprecise Inaccurate and precise

TOOLS OF THE TRADE
De La Salle Dasmariñas Cavite
 Photo credits De La Salle
University Dasmarinas
campus Chemistry
Laboratory.

Photo credits De La Salle University

Dasmarinas campus Chemistry
Laboratory.
Photo credits De La Salle
University Dasmarinas campus
Chemistry Laboratory.
Photo credits De La Salle
University Dasmarinas
La Salle Lake.
Photo credits De La Salle University Chemistry Laboratory.
Determining Significant Figures
The following are the rules for determining the number of
significant figures of a measurement.
1. Every nonzero digit in a reported measurement is
significant.
Examples: 791.22 m has five significant digits.
553 cm has three significant digits.
2.Leading zeros- zeros before the first nonzero digit are
not significant; they only act as placeholders to
show the position of the decimal point.
Examples: 0.089 g has two significant digits.
0.0009 g has one significant digit
3. Captive Zeros – zeros in between nonzero digits
are significant.
Examples: 0.005005 m has four significant digits.
46.073 m has five significant digits.

4. Trailing Zeros to the right of a nonzero digit and

to the right of the decimal point are significant.
Examples: 36.00 m has four significant digits.
0.350 s has three significant digits.
Notebook Seatwork 2pts each ( Do this in 5 mins!)
How many significant digits do the given measurements
have?
1. 5.4×104 m
2. 5.400×104 m
3. 0.0540 m
How many significant figures do the given mass
measurements have?
1. 40.5 g
2. 40.500 g
3. 0.045 g
4. 45.000 g
5. 45 g
Significant Figures in Mathematical Operations
The answer to an addition or subtraction problem
should not have more decimal places than the least
accurate measurement. In other words, the number
with the least number of decimal places will
dictate the number of decimal places in the final
answer.
In multiplying or dividing measurements, the final
answer should not have more significant digits than
the measurement having the fewest significant
digits.
Solve the given problems. Express the final answer in the
correct number of significant digits.
1. (14.7 g) + (2.028 g)
2. (57.14 m) − (29.5 m)
3. (1 008.67 km) ÷ (52.83 L)
4. (65.02 cm)×(3.87 cm)×(0.250 cm)
Seatwork 2pts each: Solve the given
problems. Express the final answer in
the correct number of significant
digits. (1O mins!)
Rules in Rounding Off Numbers
In rounding off numbers, decide first as to how many
significant digits the answer should have.
This will depend on the given measurements and on the
mathematical operations used to obtain the
answer. Then, round off to the required number of digits,
counting from the left. If the number
following the digits to be kept for the answer is less than 5,
the digits are written and reported as is.
For example, 3.084 rounded off to three digits is 3.08.
If the number following the digits to be kept for the answer
is 5 or greater, add 1 to the digit kept.
As an example, 4.899582 rounded off to four digits is 4.900
Seat work 2pts each. Answer the
following. 5mins!
1. Round off 9.256 to three and two
significant digits.
2. Round off 0.00256 to two and one
significant digits.
3. Round off 0.0235 to three and two
significant digits.
4. Round off 10. 052405 to four and two
significant digits.
5. Round off 50.7021 to three and two
significant digits.