Final answer:
To convert 3.56 cm to meters, multiply by the conversion factor of 1 m/100 cm, which gives 0.0356 m. This maintains the correct number of significant figures in the conversion.
Step-by-step explanation:
To convert 3.56 cm to meters, we have to move from centimeters to meters. We know that there are 100 centimeters in 1 meter, which we can express as a conversion factor.
The conversion process from centimeters to meters is:
quantity (in old units) × conversion factor = quantity (in new units).
For our specific example, the conversion from centimeters to meters would be:
3.56 cm × 1 m/100 cm = 0.0356 m
The conversion factor we use is 1 m/100 cm because this relationship tells us how many meters are in 100 centimeters: precisely 1 meter. After multiplying 3.56 cm by the conversion factor, we cancel out the centimeters, leaving us with the result in meters.
So, 3.56 cm is equivalent to 0.0356 m when converted with the correct number of significant figures.