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The display on your calculator reads "0.023060070". If the number in the answer requires five sig. fig.s, what result should you report?

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Final answer:

To round the number 0.023060070 to five significant figures, count five digits from the first non-zero digit. The final rounded number is 0.023060, considering the need to round up because of the digit following the fifth significant figure.

Step-by-step explanation:

When working with calculators, it's important to remember that they display more significant figures than are often warranted based on the input values. In the case of the number 0.023060070, if we need to report it with five significant figures, we should round it accordingly.

Starting with the original number, we count five digits from left to right, starting with the first non-zero digit. These are 2, 3, 0, 6, and 0. The sixth digit is a 7, which tells us we need to round up the fifth digit. Therefore, our final rounded number with five significant figures is 0.023060.

It's crucial for accuracy in scientific calculations to present the correct number of significant figures. Remember that significant figures reflect the precision of your measurements, and incorrect precision can misrepresent the certainty of your data.

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