Question

When the calculation (2.31)(4.9795X10^3)/(1.9971X10^4) is performed,how many significant digits should be reported for the answer?

Answer 1

When multiplying quantities, the basis for the number of significant answers for your answer is the least number among the given data. In this problem, 2.31 has 3 sig figs, 4.9795x10³ has 5 sig figs, and 1.9971x10⁴ has 5 sig figs. So, we follow 3 sig figs.

(2.31)(4.9795X10^3)/(1.9971X10^4) = 23.0×10⁷