Final answer:
The number of significant figures in 100 L is uncertain without context; it could be one if it's an approximation or three if it's precise to the hundreds place. The ambiguity can be resolved with scientific notation, with 1.00 × 10² L indicating three significant figures.
Step-by-step explanation:
The number of significant figures in 100 L is ambiguous. Without additional formatting or context, it is impossible to know whether the trailing zeros are intended as significant figures. If 100 L is just an approximation, it would be one significant figure. However, if the measurement was precise to the hundreds place, then it would be three significant figures. In scientific notation, to clarify, we could express it as 1.00 × 10² L, which would indicate three significant figures.
It's important to remember that zero digits function as placeholders and are necessary for conveying the scale of the number. Therefore, the number 100 in scientific notation as 1 × 10² suggests one significant figure, while 1.0 × 10² would have two significant figures, and 1.00 × 10² represents three significant figures.