1 Handling Numbers in Science Flashcards
closeness of a measured value to the exact value
accuracy
closeness of measured values to each other
precision
formula for percent error
|error|
/
accepted value
x 100 for percentage
formula for error
experimental value - accepted value
meaningful digits in a measured or calculated quality
significant figures
numbers that best represent the value of a measurement
significant figures
use _____ to determine how accurate and precise a measurement is
significant figures
______ in a measurement include all the known digits plus one estimated digit
significant figures
non-zero digits are ALWAYS significant
true
zeroes before (to the left of) the first non-zero digit are NEVER significant, and are called
“leading zeroes”
zeroes between non-zero digits are ALWAYS significant, called
“captive zeroes”
zeros after (to the right of) the last non zero digit are significant in and only if there is a DECIMAL POINT present, called
“trailing zeroes”
If the number to the immediate right of the last significant figure is less than 5, do you round up?
NO
If the number to the immediate right of the last significant figure is equal or greater than 5, do you round up?
YES
If you add or subtract, the answer is
rounded-off to the given with
least number of decimal places
