Answer :
If it were written as 1500.0, it would have five significant figures because the decimal point includes the trailing zeros as significant digits.
To determine the number of significant figures represented in the length of the Olympic 'mile' which is 1500 meters, we need to analyze the number based on rules of significant figures in measurements.
Here are the relevant rules for significant figures:
All nonzero digits are significant.
Any zeros between significant digits are significant.
Leading zeros are not significant.
Trailing zeros are only significant if the number contains a decimal point.
Now let's apply these rules to the number 1500 meters:
- The number 1500 has two trailing zeros.
- Because the number 1500 does not have a decimal point, the trailing zeros are not considered significant.
Therefore, the number 1500 meters has two significant figures.
