Answer to Question #63884 in General Chemistry for Lindsey Moss

Question

Determine the number of significant figures in each of the following measured quantities: (a) 8.6624 km (b) 303 m2 (c) 8.2300 cm (d) 290.0 K (e) 701.090 g.

Answer 1

according to the rules of determination of the significant figures, the following numbers of significant figures are correct for the given examples:

a) 8.6624 km: 5 significant figures (8, 6, 6, 2, 4) (all non-zero digits are significant)
b) 303 m 2 : 3 significant figures (3, 0, 3) (zeros between non-zero digits are significant)
c) 8.2300 cm: 5 significant figures (8, 2, 3, 0, 0) (In a number with a decimal point, trailing zeros, those to the right of the last non-zero digit, are significant since they clarify the precision of the
measurement)
d) 290.0 K: 4 significant figures (2, 9, 0, 0) (same rule as in previous)
e) 701.090 g: 6 significant figures (7, 0, 1, 0, 9, 0).