Question

Record the answer to the following operation using the appropriate number of significant digits: 6.12 x (3.334 x 10^3)

Option a) 20,000
Option b) 20.44
Option c) 20440
Option d) 20400

Answer 1

The correct answer to the operation 6.12 x (3.334 x 10^3) is 20400, which is Option d) and it is reported with three significant figures.

Step-by-step explanation:

The operation 6.12 x (3.334 x 10^3) should be calculated with attention to significant figures. The number 6.12 has three significant figures, and 3.334 has four significant figures, but since we're multiplying, we must report our answer with the same number of significant figures as the number with the fewest significant figures in the problem, which is three.

First, multiply 6.12 by 3.334 to get 20.40168. Then, multiply that by 10^3 to shift the decimal three places to the right, giving 20401.68. However, since we need to report our answer with three significant figures, we round to 20400, making 2.040 x 10^4 in scientific notation.

So the correct answer, reported with three significant figures, is 20400, which corresponds to Option d).