RULES IN ROUNDING OFF

NUMBERS
• When a number is rounded off to a given
place, the digit immediately to the right of the
place tells us what to do.
• If the digit to the immediate right is 5 or more,
we add 1 to the place we are rounding to.
• If the digit to the immediate right is less than 5,
we simple eliminate that digit.
• Examples
a. The number 3.489 is to be rounded off to
the tenths place
Tenths place

The digit in the hundredths place (8) is 5

3. 4 8 9 or more so we add 1 to the tenths
place

3.5 (rounded off to the tenths place

b. The number 0.0927 is rounded off to the
hundredths place.
Hundredth place

0.0927
The digit in the thousandths place (2) is less than 5, so we
eliminate it.

0.09 (rounded off to the hundredths place

SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
• Suppose you weigh a one peso coin on a balance
capable of measuring to the nearest 0.0001 g. You
could report the mass as 4.2307 ± 0.0001 g.
• The ± notation is a useful way to express uncertainty of
a measurement. In most scientific work, the ± notation
is dropped with the understanding that an uncertainty
of at least one unit exists in the last digit of the
measured quantity.
• That is, measured quantities are generally reported in
such a way that only the last digit is uncertain.
• All digits, including the uncertain ones are
called significant figures.
• Thus, the number 4.2307 has five significant
figures.
• The number of significant figures indicates the
exactness of a measurement.
 RULES IN DETERMINING THE NUMBER
OF SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
1. All digits that are not zero are significant,
regardless of the location of a decimal
point.
Example:
1.98, 19.8, and 198 all contain three
significant figures.
Problem:
How many significant figures are there in
these figures?
a. 82
- two (2) significant figures
b. 3.14
- three (3) significant figures
c. 12.397
– five (5) significant figures
2. Zeros between nonzero digits are
significant.
Example:
• 20.6, 2.06, and 206 all have three (3)
significant figures
• 100.25, 1.0025, and 1002.5 all have five (5)
significant figures
 How many significant figures are in these
numbers?
a. 602
- three significant figures
b. 6.002
- four significant figures
c. 60.002
- five significant figures
3. Zeros to the left of a decimal point or to
the left of a number are not significant; they
merely indicate the placement of the
decimal point.
Example:
0.714 contains three (3) significant figures
0. 0045 contains two (2) significant figures
Problem:
How many significant figures are in these
numbers?
a. 0.0079
- two (2) significant figures
b. 0.001
- one (1) significant figure
c. 0.000042
- two (2) significant figures
4. Zeros to the right of a decimal point are
significant if they are at the end of a
number.
Example:
65.0 contains three (3) significant figures
24.00000 contains seven (7) significant
figures
 How many significant numbers are there in
these numbers?
a. 0.5000
- four (4) significant figures
b. 6.070
- four (4) significant figures
c. 0.010800
- five (5) significant figures
5. When a number ends in a zero or zeroes that
are to the right a decimal point, the end zero or
zeros may or may not be significant.
Example:
• 840 may or may not contain three significant
figures, depending on the accuracy of the
measurement. To avoid ambiguity in the
number of significant figures, such number
should be written using exponential notation.
• 840 (three significant figures) is written as
8.40 x 102
• 840 (two significant figures) is written as
8.4 x 102
 EXPONENTIAL NOTATION

• Exponential notation is the shorthand

method for expressing very large or
very small numbers.
•This method involves the use of a base
number, 10, raised to some power.
• A positive exponent indicates the number of a
certain number multiplied by 10.
• It also the number of places the decimal point
must be moved to the right.
• Example:
1 x 102 (meaning 1 is multiplied by 10, two
times) 1 x 10 x 10
2.5 x 104 ( meaning 2.5 is multiplied by 10,
four times) 2.5 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10
• A negative exponent indicates the number of
times the number is divided by 10.
• This also means the number of places the
decimal point must be moved to the left.
• Example:
8 x 10-2 (meaning 8 is divided by 10, two
times)
8 = 0.08
10 x 10
 1.6 x 10-5 (meaning 1.6 is divided by 10, five
times or 1.6 is moved to the left 5 times)
0.000016
• In expressing exponential notation, the number to
be multiplied by 10 must be between 1 and 10.
• Example, 723 is written as 7.23 x 102 and not
72.3 x 101.
1.) 650,000,000 can be written in scientific
notation as ___________________
2.) 5326.6 can be written in scientific notation as
___________
3.) 4,900,000,000 can be written in scientific
notation as ________________
4.) 0.00000256 can be written in scientific
notation as ___________________
5.) 0.000275 can be written in scientific notation
as ___________________
 RULES IN EXPRESSING STANDARD
NOTATION TO SCIENTIFIC NOTATION
1. When the decimal point is moved from right to left,
the result is positive exponent.
Example: 7806.123 = 7.806123 x 103 = 7.81 x 103

2. When the decimal point is moved left to right, the

result is negative exponent.
Example: 0.00007806123 = 7.806123 x 10-5 = 7.81 x 10-5
 EXPRESS THE FOLLOWING TO
SCIENTIFIC NOTATION

1. 0.000005917
2. 4942.72
3. 0.005
4. 2,560,000
5. 8365.454
 RULES CONVERTING SCIENTIFIC
NOTATION TO STANDARD NOTATION
1. Move the current decimal point according to
the number of places based on the exponent

(+) positive exponent – move to the RIGHT

Example: 3.7962 x 104 = 37,962

(-) negative exponent – move to the LEFT

Example: 1.56 x 10-8 = 0.0000000156
 EXPRESS THE FOLLOWING SCIENTIFIC
NOTATION TO STANDARD NOTATION

1. 6.6 x 10-5
2. 6.43 x 10 -5

3. 5.63 x 104
4. 8.66 x 10 6

5. 9 x 10 -3
 RULES IN ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION
INVOLVING SCIENTIFIC NOTATION
1. When two or more quantities are added or
subtracted, make sure the exponents are the
same.
(If not, choose one to adjust the decimal and
exponent. Use LARS (Left Add, Right Subtract)
Example:
(a) (6.2 x 103) + (1.74 x 103) = (6.2 + 1.74) x 103 =
7.94 x 103
(b) (7.1 x 103) + (5.2 x 105) = (0.071 x 105) + (5.2 x
105) = 5.271 x 105

- Since exponents are not the same, choose

one to adjust
- here we will adjust 7.1 x 103 to have an
exponent of 105
- From 103 to 105, we will move two decimal
places to the left since we added two to the
exponent, that becomes 0.071 x 105
1.) (2 x 103) + (3.6 x 104)
Solution:
= 0.2 x 104 + 3.6 x 104
= (0.2 + 3.6) x 104
= 3.8 x 104
2.) Evaluate (7 x 105) – (5.2 x 104), giving your
answer in scientific notation.
Solution:
=7 x 105 – 5.2 x 104
= 70 x 104 – 5.2 x 104
= (70-5.2) x 104
= 64.8 x 104
= 6.48 x 105
 SOLVE THE FOLLOWING APPLYING THE
RULES IN ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION
OF SCIENTIFIC NOTATION

1. (3.769 x 105) + (4.21 x 105)

2. (8.14 x 10-2) – (2.01 x 10-2)
3. (7.58 x 105) – (2.871 x 106)
4. (2.9785 x 10-8) + (5.72 x 10-10)
5. (4.86 x 103) – (4.72 x 103)