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Grade 8 Significant Figures Lesson 8

This lesson plan covers the topic of number theory and approximation and estimation through significant figures. The objectives are for students to understand the meaning of significant figures, write numbers to a specified number of significant figures, and participate cooperatively. Required materials include mathematics textbooks and workbooks. Key points about significant figures explained are that they are the meaningful digits in a measurement and rules to determine them include that non-zero digits, zeros between non-zeros, and trailing zeros are significant. Examples are provided to illustrate these rules and an activity has students identify the number of significant figures in given numbers and round numbers to a specified number of significant figures.

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Kara Newman
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262 views2 pages

Grade 8 Significant Figures Lesson 8

This lesson plan covers the topic of number theory and approximation and estimation through significant figures. The objectives are for students to understand the meaning of significant figures, write numbers to a specified number of significant figures, and participate cooperatively. Required materials include mathematics textbooks and workbooks. Key points about significant figures explained are that they are the meaningful digits in a measurement and rules to determine them include that non-zero digits, zeros between non-zeros, and trailing zeros are significant. Examples are provided to illustrate these rules and an activity has students identify the number of significant figures in given numbers and round numbers to a specified number of significant figures.

Uploaded by

Kara Newman
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lesson Plan

Date: October 26 – 30, 2020 (Lesson 8)


Subject: Mathematics
Grade: 8
Topic: Number Theory - Approximation and Estimation
Sub – Topic: Significant Figures

Specific Objectives: By the end of the lesson students should be able to:
1. Explain the meaning of significant figures
2. Write a given number to a specified number of significant figures.
3. Display willingness to learn and cooperate by participating in discussion and class
activity.
Required Materials:
❖ Ali F, W. Bostock L. Chandler S. Layne C, E. Shepherd A. Smith E. (2011) STP
Mathematics for Jamaica. Nelson Thornes Ltd
❖ Toolsie, R. (2004), Mathematics: A Complete Course with CXC Questions Volume 1,
Caribbean Educational Publishers

What are significant figures?


Sometimes you may be asked to give your answer to a certain number of significant figures
instead of decimal places.
The significant figures of a number are the digits that carry meaning contributing to its
measurement resolution.

Rules to determine significant figures in a number:


1. All non-zero digits are significant.
2. The first non-zero digit, reading from left to right, is the most significant
figure. It has the greatest place value compared to the other non-zero
digits.
3. All zeros between two significant digits are significant.
4. Only the final zero, or trailing zero, in the decimal portion of a number is
significant.

1
Let's look at the number 140347 for instance.
There are six digits or figures in the number. Starting from the left, 1 is the first non-zero digit
and 7 is the last. The number has six significant figures.

Other Examples
3.1456 has 5 significant figures
150 has 2 significant figures (1 and 5 give useful information, 0 is a placeholder)
0.00035 has 2 significant figures (zeros are place holders)
0.0350 has 3 significant figures (measurement made accurate to that last digit, trailing
zero)
1006 has 4 significant figures (count zeros between natural numbers)

Activity: Determine the number of significant figures in each of the following:


1. 26.0
2. 13245
3. 10190
4. 0.00567
5. 0.01500

Activity: Round each of the following to the given significant figures in the brackets:
1. 1200 (1 significant figure)
2. 9029 (3 significant figures)
3. 0.008710 (2 significant figures)
4. 2020 (3 significant figures)
5. 5.858 (2 significant figures)

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