2001-04 Dorje Gurung

Scientific Measurements:
Significant Figures
Scientific Measurements: Significant Figures
Slide 2 of 11
Learning Objectives
Concepts:
Exact numbers, inexact numbers, significant figures, least precise measurement
Skills:
Be able to determine the number of significant figures in a measurement
Be able to interconvert between decimal and scientific notations
Be able to perform rounding off operations on results of calculations
Scientific Measurements: Significant Figures
Slide 3 of 11
Significant Figures
Look at these measurements:
5 cm 50 cm 55 cm 5.5 cm 5.0 mm 555 cm 500 cm
5.00 cm 505 cm 5.05 g 5.010 g 50.10 g 0.5 g 0.50 g
0.05 g 0.055 mg 0.005 mg 0.00500 g
How many significant figures do each one have?
Determining the number of significant figures in a measurement is simple once you
know the rules.
And the rules are:
1. All nonzero digits are significant.
That means the measurement 5 cm consists of 1 sig fig; 55 cm = 2 sig figs; 555 = 3 sig
figs etc.
2. Captive zeroes, thoses between nonzero digits, are significant.
505 cm = 3 sig figs; 5.05 cm = 3 sig figs
Scientific Measurements: Significant Figures
Slide 4 of 11
Significant Figure Rules
3. Leading zeros, zeros before a decimal point and after a decimal point preceding the
first nonzero digit in a number, are not significant; they merely indicate the position
of the decimal point.
0.5 = 1 sig fig ; 0.005 = 1 sig fig; 0.055 = 2 sig figs
4. Trailing zeros (zeros that follow a nonzero digit) are significant if the number
contains the decimal place.
5.0 = 2 sig figs; 5.05 = 3 sig figs; 5.010 = 4 sig figs; 50.10 = 4 sig figs
Those that dont contain the decimal place are said to consist of uncertain or
indeterminate significant figures.
50 uncertain number of sig figs, could be 1 or 2.
The measurement could be correct to the nearest unit or the nearest 10 units.
Similarly, 500 1 or 2 or 3 sig figs,
15000 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 sig figs
Scientific Measurements: Significant Figures
Slide 5 of 11
Significant Figure Rules
The ambiguity is removed by using scientific notation.
50 expressed to 1 sig fig 5 10
1

50 expressed to 2 sig figs 5.0 10
1

500 expressed to 2 sig figs 5.0 10
2

15000 expressed to 2 sig figs 1.5 10
4

15000 expressed to 3 sig figs 1.50 10
4
(instead of 15.0 10
3
)
15000 expressed correctly to 4 sig figs 1.500 10
4
etc.
A mnemonic that my help you remember how to keep the signs straight is
Registered Nurses Love Patients, or RN, LP, which stands for right--negative,
left--positive.
If you move the decimal point to the right, the exponent is negative. If you move
the decimal point to the left, the exponent is positive.
NOTE: Generally only one digit is included before the decimal point in scientific
notation.
Scientific Measurements: Significant Figures
Slide 6 of 11
Significant Figure Rules
5. Exact numbers have an infinite number of significant figures.
When we say that there are 2.54 cm in 1 inch, since the numbers 2.54 and 1 are both exact,
they are said to contain an infinite number of significant numbers.
Its as if like they had an infinite number of trailing zeros
When we say that there are 12 apples in a dozen apple, 12, another exact number, is said to
have an infinite number of significant figures.

Scientific Measurements: Significant Figures
Slide 7 of 11
Significant figures in calculation: Rounding off
When the following operations are performed, a calculator gives the following results
a. 1.20 cm + 0.039 cm + 12.1 cm = 13.349 cm
b. 10.5 cm 15 cm = 157.5 cm
2
c. 15.00 cm 0.60 cm = 9 cm
2
The results as reported above are misleading.
In chemistry (and science in general) results derived from mathematical manipulation
of measurements must reflect the precision levels of the measurements.
The results above indicate a level of precision that is either greater than the
measurements from which they were derived (the first two) or do not reflect the
level of precision of the measurements (the last one).
When a result contains more than the correct number of significant figures, it must be
rounded off to the appropriated number of significant figures (the first two).
Or if it does not contain the appropriate number of significant figure, they need to be
added (the last one).
Scientific Measurements: Significant Figures
Slide 8 of 11
Rules to follow when rounding off a number
1. If the leftmost digit to be removed is > 5, then you round off the result by raising the
last kept digit by 1.
When rounding off 2.018 cm to 3 significant figures, the leftmost digit to be removed is 8.
Since 8 > 5, the last digit to be kept is raised by 1 yielding 2.02 cm.
Similarly, rounding off all of the following numbers 2.0185, 2.0188, 2.018795, , 2.0170,
2.0163, 2.0169 to 3 sig figs also yields 2.02.
Further, 432838, 432800, 432503 rounded off to 3 sig figs becomes 4.33 10
5
Rounding off the numbers 5.425 and 5.42598 to 3 significant figures gives 5.43
127500, 127543, and 127593 round off to 1.28 10
5
when reduced to 3 sig figs.

2. If the leftmost digit to be removed is < 5, the preceding digit is left unchanged.
3.234 g when rounded off to 3 sig figs reduces to 3.23 g.
Similarly, the following numbers 3.231, 3.2336, 3.2336999 corrected to 3 sig figs also
round off to 3.23.
432193 rounds off to 4.32 10
5
.
Scientific Measurements: Significant Figures
Slide 9 of 11
Rounding off Addition and Subtraction Results
When working with inexact numbers, precision of a result is limited by the least precise
measurement.
When only addition and/or subtraction is involved, the least precise measurement is the
measurement containing the least number of decimal places.
Results are reported only to as many decimal places as the measurement with the smallest
number of decimal places.
50.59 10.900
= 39.690
= 39.69 (2 decimal places)
Multiplication (or division) by an integer (an exact number) is a disguised form of
addition (or subtraction), therefore the result should be reported to as many
decimal places as the quantity being multiplied (or divided).
5 1.53 = 7.56 (2 decimal places); 5 5.34 = 26.7 = 26.70 (2 decimal places)
1.53/5 = 0.31 (2 decimal places); 5.34/5 = 1.07 (2 decimal places)
1.20 + 0.039 + 12.1
= 13.349
= 13.3 (1 decimal place)
40.50 + 100.101 110.90
= 29.701
= 29.70 (2 decimal places)
Scientific Measurements: Significant Figures
Slide 10 of 11
Rounding off Multiplication and Division Results
In multiplication and division, the result however must be reported as having no more
significant figures than the measurement with the smallest number of significant
figures.
10.5 15 = 157.5 = 1.6 10
2
(requires only 2 sig figs)
15.00 0.600 = 9 = 9.00 (requires 3 sig figs)
15.0
2.5 1.25 1.2 (requires only 2 sig figs)
3.0
| |
= =
|
\ .
15.00
= 5 = 5.0 (requires 2 sig figs)
3.0
0.05500
3
= 0.005 = 0.00500 or 5.00 10 (requires 3 sig figs)
11.0

Scientific Measurements: Significant Figures
Slide 11 of 11
Rounding off results of different mathematical operations
When a calculation involves a combinations of addition/subtraction and
multiplication/division, be mindful of the sequence of operations and apply the
appropriate rule at each stage of the calculation.
There will also be situations where you will need to go through several intermediate
values before you get the final result when analyzing a set of laboratory data for
example.
In a multi-step calculation, in all the intermediates, retain at least one more significant
figure than the least precise measurement in the calculation until the final result in
order to prevent rounding errors.
Students often make the mistake of either rounding off intermediates to the appropriate
number of significant figures, which ends up giving a result that is considerably off, or
carrying through all eight figures that their calculator spits out!