Final answer:
In the number 0.0001982810000, there are 7 significant figures. This includes the non-zero digits 198281 and the trailing zeros after the decimal point because they are placeholders.the correct option is (b) 7 significant figures.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question concerns identifying the number of significant figures in a numerical value. The general rules for counting significant figures are as follows:
- All nonzero digits are considered significant.
- Zeros between nonzero digits are significant.
- Leading zeros are not significant.
- Trailing zeros to the right of the decimal are significant if they are at the end of the number and the number contains a decimal point.
To apply these rules to the number 0.0001982810000, we must discount the leading zeros, which are not significant. This leaves us with the digits 198281. After the last non-zero digit (1), there are four trailing zeros. Since there's a decimal point in the number and these zeros are used to hold the place, they are significant. Thus, we have seven significant figures, which include both the non-zero digits and the trailing zeros after the last non-zero digit.
Therefore, the correct option is (b) 7 significant figures.