Introduction to Significant
Figures
&
Scientific Notation
Significant Figures
• Scientist use significant figures to
determine how precise a measurement
is
• Significant digits in a measurement
include all of the known digits plus one
estimated digit
For example…
• Look at the ruler below
• Each line is 0.1cm
• You can read that the arrow is on 13.3 cm
• However, using significant figures, you must
estimate the next digit
• That would give you 13.30 cm
Let’s try this one
• Look at the ruler below
• What can you read before you
estimate?
• 12.8 cm
• Now estimate the next digit…
• 12.85 cm
The same rules apply with all
instruments
• The same rules apply
• Read to the last digit that you know
• Estimate the final digit
Let’s try graduated cylinders
• Look at the graduated cylinder below
• What can you read with confidence?
• 56 ml
• Now estimate the last digit
• 56.0 ml
One more graduated cylinder
• Look at the cylinder below…
• What is the measurement?
• 53.5 ml
Rules for Significant figures
Rule #1
• All non zero digits are ALWAYS
significant
• How many significant digits are in the
following numbers?
•274 •3 Significant Figures
•25.632 •5 Significant Digits
•8.987 •4 Significant Figures
Rule #2
• All zeros between significant digits are
ALWAYS significant
• How many significant digits are in the
following numbers?
504 3 Significant Figures
60002 5 Significant Digits
9.077 4 Significant Figures
Rule #3
• All FINAL zeros to the right of the
decimal ARE significant
• How many significant digits are in the
following numbers?
32.0 3 Significant Figures
19.000 5 Significant Digits
105.0020 7 Significant Figures
Rule #4
• All zeros that act as place holders are
NOT significant
• Another way to say this is: zeros are
only significant if they are between
significant digits OR are the very final
thing at the end of a decimal
For example
How many significant digits are in the following numbers?
0.0002 1 Significant Digit
6.02 x 1023 3 Significant Digits
100.000 6 Significant Digits
150000 2 Significant Digits
800 1 Significant Digit
Rule #5
• All counting numbers and constants
have an infinite number of significant
digits
• For example:
1 hour = 60 minutes
12 inches = 1 foot
24 hours = 1 day
How many significant digits
are in the following numbers?
0.0073 2 Significant Digits
100.020 6 Significant Digits
2500 2 Significant Digits
7.90 x 10-3 3 Significant Digits
670.0 4 Significant Digits
0.00001 1 Significant Digit
18.84 4 Significant Digits
Rules Rounding Significant
Digits
Rule #1
• If the digit to the immediate right of the last
significant digit is less that 5, do not round up
the last significant digit.
• For example, let’s say you have the number
43.82 and you want 3 significant digits
• The last number that you want is the 8 –
43.82
• The number to the right of the 8 is a 2
• Therefore, you would not round up & the
number would be 43.8
Rounding Rule #2
• If the digit to the immediate right of the last
significant digit is greater that a 5, you round
up the last significant figure
• Let’s say you have the number 234.87 and
you want 4 significant digits
• 234.87 – The last number you want is the 8
and the number to the right is a 7
• Therefore, you would round up & get 234.9
Rounding Rule #3
• If the number to the immediate right of the
last significant is a 5, and that 5 is followed by
a non zero digit, round up
• 78.657 (you want 3 significant digits)
• The number you want is the 6
• The 6 is followed by a 5 and the 5 is followed
by a non zero number
• Therefore, you round up
• 78.7
Rounding Rule #4
• If the number to the immediate right of the
last significant is a 5, and that 5 is followed by
a zero, you look at the last significant digit
and make it even.
• 2.5350 (want 3 significant digits)
• The number to the right of the digit you want
is a 5 followed by a 0
• Therefore you want the final digit to be even
• 2.54
Say you have this number
• 2.5250 (want 3 significant digits)
• The number to the right of the digit you
want is a 5 followed by a 0
• Therefore you want the final digit to be
even and it already is
• 2.52
Let’s try these examples…
200.99 (want 3 SF) 201
18.22 (want 2 SF) 18
135.50 (want 3 SF) 136
0.00299 (want 1 SF) 0.003
98.59 (want 2 SF) 99
Significant Figures
If you add or subtract, the
answer is rounded to the
same number of decimal
places as the measurement
with the least number of
decimal places.
Significant Figures
If you multiply or divide two
numbers, the answer is
rounded off to the number of
significant figures in the least
precise term used in the
calculation (i.e. the number
with the fewest sig figs).
Scientific Notation
• Scientific notation is used to express
very large or very small numbers
• I consists of a number between 1 & 10
followed by x 10 to an exponent
• The exponent can be determined by the
number of decimal places you have to
move to get only 1 number in front of
the decimal
Large Numbers
• If the number you start with is greater than 1,
the exponent will be positive
• Write the number 39923 in scientific notation
• First move the decimal until 1 number is in
front – 3.9923
• Now at x 10 – 3.9923 x 10
• Now count the number of decimal places that
you moved (4)
• Since the number you started with was
greater than 1, the exponent will be positive
• 3.9923 x 10 4
Small Numbers
• If the number you start with is less than 1, the
exponent will be negative
• Write the number 0.0052 in scientific notation
• First move the decimal until 1 number is in
front – 5.2
• Now at x 10 – 5.2 x 10
• Now count the number of decimal places that
you moved (3)
• Since the number you started with was less
than 1, the exponent will be negative
• 5.2 x 10 -3
Scientific Notation Examples
Place the following numbers in scientific notation:
99.343 9.93 x 101
4000.1 4.00 x 103
0.000375 3.75 x 10-4
0.0234 2.34 x 10-2
94577.1 9.46 x 104
Going from Scientific Notation
to Ordinary Notation
• You start with the number and move the
decimal the same number of spaces as
the exponent.
• If the exponent is positive, the number
will be greater than 1
• If the exponent is negative, the number
will be less than 1
Going to Ordinary Notation
Examples
Place the following numbers in ordinary notation:
3 x 106 3000000
6.26x 109 6260000000
5 x 10-4 0.0005
8.45 x 10-7 0.000000845
2.25 x 103 2250
