1.
All non-zero numbers are significant.
Example: 43.56721 has seven significant
figures.
.................21 has 2 significant figures.
................1234.56789
has 9 significant figures.
2.
Zeros appearing between non-zero figures are significant.
Example: 80.46 has four significant figures.
................12,007.002 has eight significant
figures.
3.
Zeros that appear in front of non-zero figures are NOT significant.
Example: 0.006732 has four significant
figures.
................0.00000003
has one significant figure.
4.
Zeros at the end of a number and to the right of a decimal are significant.
Example: 68.000 has five significant figures.
................12.00000000 has ten significant
figures.
5.
Zeros at the end of a number but to the left of the decimal may or may
not be significant. If a number has a decimal at the end, all numbers
are significant. If no decimal is written, the zeros on the end are place
holders and should not be considered significant.
Example: 2000 contains one significant
figure.
................2000.
contains four significant figures.
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