Final answer:
The mass of the gold to the nearest hundredth of a gram is 40.53 g, as no further rounding is required beyond the provided value.
Step-by-step explanation:
When we round a number to a specific decimal place, we look at the digit immediately to the right of that decimal place. In this case, we are rounding to the nearest hundredth, which means we need to consider the digit in the thousandth place.
The provided mass is 40.53 g. To determine the correct mass to the nearest hundredth, we examine the digit in the thousandth place, which is 3. Since 3 is less than 5, we do not need to round up. Therefore, the mass remains the same as the provided value, which is 40.53 g.
Rounding is a process used to approximate a number to a desired level of precision. It involves adjusting the value of a number based on the digits beyond the desired decimal place. In this case, since the provided mass is already given to the hundredths place, there are no additional digits to consider for further rounding.
It's important to understand the rules of rounding to ensure accurate and precise calculations. Generally, if the digit in the next decimal place is 5 or greater, we round up by increasing the digit in the desired decimal place by 1. If the digit in the next decimal place is less than 5, we simply keep the digit in the desired decimal place as it is.
In this specific case, rounding is not necessary as the provided mass is already at the desired level of precision. Therefore, the mass of the gold remains 40.53 g.