Question

How many decimals should you report to on a standard meter stick?

a) One; Standard convention for meter measurements.
b) Two; Increased precision for longer lengths.
c) Three; Necessary for accurate linear measurements.
d) No decimals; Whole numbers are sufficient.

Answer 1

When using a standard meter stick, you should report your measurements to one decimal place. Option (a) is the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

While a meter stick has markings for millimeters, its actual precision is limited to the nearest tenth of a centimeter (1 mm). Reporting more than one decimal place implies a higher level of accuracy than the tool can actually provide. Therefore, to maintain scientific accuracy and consistency, rounding to one decimal place is a) standard convention for measurements taken with a meter stick.

While options (b) and (c) may seem tempting, they represent unnecessary precision for this specific tool. Option (d) would be inaccurate as even the least precise measurements should involve tenths of a unit.

Option (a) is the correct answer.