Question

What is the answer to 974.59 / 14.2, and how many significant figures are there?

Answer 1

The result of 974.59 divided by 14.2 is 68.6204, and there are six significant figures in the answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

When dividing 974.59 by 14.2, the quotient is 68.62042254. However, considering significant figures, both the dividend and divisor have five significant figures each. According to the rules of significant figures in division, the result should be reported with the same number of significant figures as the least precise value, which in this case, is five significant figures.

Therefore, the result, 68.6204, is rounded to match the least number of significant figures in the initial numbers used for the division. The sixth digit in the decimal, '2', doesn't affect the fifth digit '0' in the context of significant figures.

Hence, the final answer contains six significant figures to maintain accuracy and precision based on the given values.

Answer 2

The answer to 974.59 / 14.2 is 68.66, rounded to two decimal places. The answer should have three significant figures.

Step-by-step explanation:

The answer to 974.59 / 14.2 is 68.66, rounded to two decimal places. To determine the number of significant figures in the answer, we look at the number with the fewest significant figures, which is 14.2 with three significant figures. Therefore, the answer should also have three significant figures.

When reporting the outcome of a division with significant figures, the measurement with the fewest significant numbers should be presented with the same amount of significant figures.