Unit 1: The Nature of Science and Measurement Flashcards
Dimensional Analysis
the analysis of the relationships between different physical quantities by identifying their base quantities
How many grams are in a pound?
545 grams
How many centimeters are in a inch?
2.54
How many centimeters are in one meter?
100
What limits the numbers reported in a measurement?
the measuring tool
Significant figures in a measurement include the known digits, plus what other thing?
an estimated digit
What are always significant in a measured amount?
Non-zero numbers
Are leading zeros in decimal numbers before non-zero numbers and after the decimal significant or not?
not significant
Are zeros between non-zero numbers significant?
significant
Are trailing zeros in numbers without decimals significant?
not significant
Are trailing zeros in numbers after the decimal point and after non-zero numbers significant?
significant
Sig fig rules for adding and subtracting
the answer must have the same number of decimal places as the measurement with the fewest decimal places
sig fig rules for multiplying and dividing
the answer must be rounded/add zeros until you have the same number of sig figs as the measurement with the fewest sig figs
Accuracy
how close the measurement is to what it supposed to be
Precision
how exact a measurement is (the more digits there are, the more precise it is)
