Mastering Significant Figures in Calculations

Which of the following is NOT a source of exact numbers?

• Integral numbers in equations

• Measured quantities

• Defined quantities

• Counting discrete objects

How many significant figures does the number 3.505 have?

• Five

• Two

• Three

• Four

When multiplying 3.505, 120.000, and 0.0056, how many significant figures should the final answer have?

• Six

• Two

• Three

• Four

In addition or subtraction, what determines the number of significant figures in the result?

• The total number of digits

• The number with the most significant figures

• The number of decimal places

• The number with the fewest significant figures

If you add 3.5700 and 10.070, to which decimal place should the result be rounded?

• Hundredths

• Thousandths

• Ten thousandths

• Ones

What is the least significant number in the addition of 3.5700, 10.070, and 958?

• 958

• All are equally significant

• 3.5700

• 10.070

In mixed calculations, which operation should be completed first?

• Addition

• Subtraction

• Division

• Multiplication

Why should numbers in scientific notation be converted to decimal form for addition or subtraction?

• To simplify the calculation

• To apply the rules for multiplication

• To apply the rules for addition and subtraction with respect to the decimal point

• To avoid rounding errors

How many significant figures should the result have when dividing a number with three significant figures by a number with four significant figures?

• Four

• Three

• Two

• One

What is the correct way to report the number 0.500 in scientific notation to show three significant figures?

• 5.000 x 10^-1

• 0.500 x 10^0

• 0.50 x 10^0

• 5.00 x 10^-1