Question

Describe the principle of significant digit, and using this rule identify the number of significant digits in the following:

(a) 50.00
(b) 0.0050
(c) 10000
(d) 10000.
(e) 10000m

Answer 1

The principle of significant digits is used to determine the precision of a measurement, with specific rules for zero digits. For the numbers given, 50.00 has 4 significant digits, 0.0050 has 2, 10000 has 1, 10000. has 5, and 10000m has an ambiguous number of significant figures.

Step-by-step explanation:

The principle of significant digits (also known as significant figures) is used to determine the precision of a measurement. The rules for identifying significant digits are as follows:

1. Non-zero digits are always significant.
2. Any zeros between significant digits are significant.
3. Leading zeros are not significant as they only indicate the position of the decimal point.
4. Trailing zeros in a decimal number are significant as they indicate precision.
5. In a whole number with no decimal point, trailing zeros may or may not be significant based on the context or if written in scientific notation.
6. Using these rules, the number of significant digits in the given numbers is:

• (a) 50.00 has 4 significant digits.
• (b) 0.0050 has 2 significant digits.
• (c) 10000 has 1 significant digit (unless written in scientific notation).
• (d) 10000. has 5 significant digits. (The decimal point indicates that the trailing zeros are significant.)
• (e) 10000m has ambiguous significant figures; it could be 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 significant digits depending on additional context or format.