Final answer:
Trailing zeros before a decimal point but after a non-zero number are considered significant figures
Step-by-step explanation:
Trailing zeros in a number with a decimal point are considered significant figures, regardless of whether they occur before or after the decimal point.
For example, in the number 4.500, there are four significant figures because the zeros after the 5 and before the decimal point are trailing zeros.
However, if a number lacks a decimal point, trailing zeros may or may not be significant. To indicate the appropriate number of significant figures, scientific notation can be used. For instance, 1,234,000 can be expressed as 1.234 x 106 to show that there are four significant figures.