Significant Figures

Question 1

Exponential notation

Answer 1

times 10^ (to some power)

Question 2

Scientific notation

Answer 2

a # between 1 and 9 times 10^ ( to some power)

Question 3

What are the three types of numbers?

Answer 3

exact numbers, given numbers, calculated numbers

Question 4

How many sig. figs. are in an exact number?

Answer 4

infinite

Question 5

What are the two types of exact numbers?

Answer 5

numbers that come from counting a small number of whole objects and numbers that are definitions

Question 6

What are given numbers?

Answer 6

numbers that are given to you in a problem

Question 7

What are the five rules for given numbers?

Answer 7

in given numbers all non-zero digits are significant, zeros sandwiched between non-zero digits are significant, zeros to the right of both a non-zero digit and a decimal point are significant, zeros to the left of the first non-zero digit are not significant, and zeros to the right of a non-zero digit but not sandwiched and not to the right of a decimal point are ambiguous

Question 8

Sig fig rule for multiplication and division:

Answer 8

you keep in the final answer the same number of sig figs as were in the starting number with the least number of significant figures

Question 9

Sig fig rule for addition and subtraction:

Answer 9

we keep in the final answer onky to the decimal place that was least well known in the starting information

Question 10

Sig fig for combined problems:

Answer 10

you must do the sig figs in the same order that you do the math for each step of the problem

Question 11

What are exact numbers?

Answer 11

they come from definitions and counting a small number of whole objects, they have infinite amount of sig figs