asked 44.8k views
2 votes
How many significant figures are contained in each of the following measurements?

(a) 38.7 g
(b) 2 x 1018 m
(c) 3,486,002 kg
(d) 9.74150 x 10-4 J
(e) 0.0613 cm3
(f) 17.0 kg
(g) 0.01400 g/mL

asked
User Ben Ajax
by
8.6k points

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

The number of significant figures in each measurement provided ranges from 1 to 7, indicating the precision of each measurement. Leading zeros are not counted, while all other digits, including trailing zeros after a decimal point, are.

Step-by-step explanation:

The number of significant figures in a measurement reflects the precision of that measurement. Here's the number of significant figures for each given measurement:

  • (a) 38.7 g - This measurement has 3 significant figures.
  • (b) 2 x 10^18 m - This has 1 significant figure, as the coefficient '2' is the only significant figure here.
  • (c) 3,486,002 kg - This has 7 significant figures; trailing zeros in a number that contains a decimal point are significant.
  • (d) 9.74150 x 10^-4 J - This measurement has 6 significant figures.
  • (e) 0.0613 cm^3 - This has 3 significant figures, zeroes before the '613' are not considered significant.
  • (f) 17.0 kg - This measurement has 3 significant figures.
  • (g) 0.01400 g/mL - This has 4 significant figures; the trailing zeros are significant because they are after the decimal point and after a nonzero digit.

answered
User ViksaaSkool
by
8.2k points
Welcome to Qamnty — a place to ask, share, and grow together. Join our community and get real answers from real people.