SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
Significant figures of a number are those digits that carry meaning contributing to its precision.
GUIDELINES FOR WRTING SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
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All non-zero digits are significant. For example in the number 6753 there are 4 significant figures.
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Zeroes between non-zero digits are significant. For example, the number 40072 has 5 significant figures.
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Zeroes to the left of non-zero digits are not significant. For example the number:
0.89 has 2 significant figures
0.089 has 2 significant figures
0.0089 has 2 significant figures
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If a number ends in zeroes to the right of a decimal point, the zeroes are significant. For example the number 9.0 has 2 significant figures.
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In a figure without a decimal point, the right most non-zero digit is the least significant figure. For example in 7900 the least significant is 9.
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If the next digit after the last significant figure is 4 or less, the number is rounded down. If it is 5 or more, it is rounded up. For example 14.628 to 4 significant figures is 14.63 while
15.473 to 4 significant figures is 15. 47.