High School

Determine the number of significant figures for each of the following measurements.

14) \qquad [tex]0.0120 \, \text{m}[/tex]

15) \qquad [tex]100.5 \, \text{mL}[/tex]

16) \qquad [tex]350. \, \text{cm}^2[/tex]

17) \qquad [tex]100 \overline{0} \, \text{kg}[/tex]

18) \qquad [tex]0.0020700 \, \text{dm}[/tex]

Answer :

Sure, I'd be happy to help! Let's determine the number of significant figures (sig figs) for each of the given measurements:

14) [tex]\(0.0120 \, \text{m}\)[/tex]:
- In this measurement, we need to identify all the significant figures.
- Leading zeros are not significant.
- The number 0.0120 has three significant figures: '1', '2', and the trailing '0' (because it comes after a decimal point).

So, [tex]\(0.0120 \, \text{m}\)[/tex] has 3 significant figures.

15) [tex]\(100.5 \, \text{mL}\)[/tex]:
- All non-zero digits are significant.
- Zeros between significant digits are also significant.

So, [tex]\(100.5 \, \text{mL}\)[/tex] has 4 significant figures.

16) [tex]\(350.\, \text{cm}^2\)[/tex]:
- A trailing zero in a number with a decimal point is significant.

So, [tex]\(350.\, \text{cm}^2\)[/tex] has 3 significant figures.

17) [tex]\(100 \overline{0} \, \text{kg}\)[/tex]:
- The notation [tex]\(100 \overline{0}\)[/tex] means 100 is followed by an infinite number of zeros.
- In scientific contexts, [tex]\(100 \overline{0}\)[/tex] usually implies that the trailing zeros are significant.

So, [tex]\(100 \overline{0} \, \text{kg}\)[/tex] has 4 significant figures.

18) [tex]\(0.0020700- \, \text{dm}\)[/tex]:
- Leading zeros are not significant.
- All non-zero digits are significant.
- Trailing zeros in a number with a decimal point are also significant.

So, [tex]\(0.0020700- \, \text{dm}\)[/tex] has 5 significant figures.

In summary:
14) [tex]\(0.0120 \, \text{m}\)[/tex] has 3 significant figures.
15) [tex]\(100.5 \, \text{mL}\)[/tex] has 4 significant figures.
16) [tex]\(350.\, \text{cm}^2\)[/tex] has 3 significant figures.
17) [tex]\(100 \overline{0} \, \text{kg}\)[/tex] has 4 significant figures.
18) [tex]\(0.0020700- \, \text{dm}\)[/tex] has 5 significant figures.