High School

Select the answer with the correct number of significant figures for the following calculation:

[tex]31.580 + 4.26 =[/tex]

A. 35.8
B. 35.84
C. 35.840

Answer :

To solve the problem of finding the correct number of significant figures for the calculation [tex]\(31.580 + 4.26\)[/tex], we need to follow the rules for addition with significant figures.

1. Identify the number of decimal places in each number:
- [tex]\(31.580\)[/tex] has three decimal places.
- [tex]\(4.26\)[/tex] has two decimal places.

2. Determine the number of decimal places in the result:
- When adding or subtracting, the result should have the same number of decimal places as the number with the least decimal places involved in the calculation.
- Here, the number with the least decimal places is [tex]\(4.26\)[/tex], which has two decimal places.

3. Perform the addition:
- [tex]\(31.580 + 4.26 = 35.839999999999996\)[/tex].

4. Round the result to the correct number of decimal places:
- Since the result should have two decimal places (like [tex]\(4.26\)[/tex]), we round [tex]\(35.839999999999996\)[/tex] to [tex]\(35.84\)[/tex].

Therefore, the answer is [tex]\(35.84\)[/tex], which has the correct number of significant figures as required.