High School

Determine the number of significant figures.

a. 6.002 cm

b. 0.0020 m

c. 10.0500 g

d. 7000 kg

e. 7000. kg

Answer :

Sure! Let's determine the number of significant figures for each given measurement:

a. 6.002 cm
- All the digits are non-zero, so they are all significant.
- Therefore, there are 4 significant figures: 6, 0, 0, 2.

b. 0.0020 m
- The zeros in front of the 2 are not significant, as they are only placeholders.
- The digit 2 and the trailing zero after it (which shows precision) are significant.
- There are 2 significant figures: 2, 0.

c. 10.0500 g
- All digits, including zeros that are between or after non-zero digits, are significant because they indicate precision.
- Thus, there are 6 significant figures: 1, 0, 0, 5, 0, 0.

d. 7000 kg
- When a number is written without a decimal point, the trailing zeros might not be considered significant because they can be just placeholders.
- Typically, if not specified, it's assumed there is 1 significant figure: 7.

e. 7000. kg
- The presence of a decimal point indicates that all zeros after the 7 are significant.
- There are 4 significant figures: 7, 0, 0, 0.

In summary:
- a. 6.002 cm has 4 significant figures.
- b. 0.0020 m has 2 significant figures.
- c. 10.0500 g has 6 significant figures.
- d. 7000 kg has 1 significant figure.
- e. 7000. kg has 4 significant figures.