Final answer:
To calculate the product of 17.15 and 1.062 and report the answer with four significant figures, multiply the two numbers to get 18.2153 and then round to 18.21. This maintains the precision dictated by the rules of significant figures.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the product of 17.15 and 1.062, you can multiply these two numbers together. However, it's crucial to consider the number of significant figures in the final answer. When multiplying, the number of significant figures in the result should be the same as that in the number with the least significant figures in the initial question. In this case, 17.15 has four significant figures, and 1.062 has four as well, so the final answer should also be reported with four significant figures.
Now, multiplying 17.15 by 1.062 yields 18.2153. To report our answer with four significant figures, we look at the fifth figure (which is a 1). Since the fifth figure is less than 5, we do not need to round up, so the final answer is 18.21.
This concept of significant figures is important in different contexts of calculations, ensuring that the precision of an answer is not overestimated. These are basic rules of mathematics widely used in scientific computations and quite relevant in numerous fields, such as engineering and chemistry.