Topic Content:
- Significant Figures (S.F)
Significant figures are non-zero digits but that does not mean that zeroes are not significant. The zeroes in between significant digits are also significant. The first non-zero significant figure as you read a number from left is the first significant figure e.g.
1st S.f | 2nd S.f | 3rd S.f | 4th S.f | 5th S.f | 6th S.f | 7th S.f | 8th S.f |
2 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
1st S.f | 2nd S.f | 3rd S.f | 4th S.f | |||||
0 | . | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Significant figures show the precision of an answer. When a television newscaster reports that a man has won a ₦2 Million lottery, this has been rounded up to one Significant figure. It rounds to the most important figure in the number.
Rounding to Significant Figures:
The method of rounding to a significant figure is the same for either big or small numbers. The first significant figure is the first non-zero digit as you read a number from the left.
Steps:
1. Look for the required significant figure digit
2. Draw a vertical line after the place value digit that is required.
3. Look at the next digit
4. If it is 5 or more, increase the previous digit by 1
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