Significant figures are digits with meaning contributing to its measurement resolution
Rounding:
- you can estimate past the calibration of the measuring device
- example: round 0.1653 to the 0.001 place (answer: 0.165)
Significant Figures Rules:
- zeros for "cosmetic" purposes are NOT significant
- zeros used to locate the decimal point is NOT significant
- Any numbers between 1 and 9 ARE significant
- All zeros between non zero integers ARE significant
- zeros at the end of the decimal value ARE significant because it shows where you can round and the accuracy of the number (also where the measurement device is calibrated)
- all numbers in scientific notation ARE significant
Addition and Subtraction:
- the number of significant figures in the sum or difference are the same as the measurement with the smallest number of decimal places
Multiplication and Division:
- the number of significant figures in the product is the same as the measurement with the least significant figures
Order of Operations:
- same as in math
- Parenthesis
- Exponents
- Multiplication
- Division
- Addition
- Subtraction
Metric Conversions:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IYAFI7j7o2vXSq-8-zWeF7IsypN1dcuWMVIAKe1I9OZwsgfuVLudyYQcChG1SM2TEYwVcoqM79RatSJaCtE1Aj17FGwJTZmIQABSBSB9_pAWQipCLXExEx-O9XuN6pEQ6VCIuRE5-FE/s400/units+king+henry+died+drinking+chocolate+milk.png
Helpful Links:
- http://www.usca.edu/chemistry/genchem/sigfig.htm
- http://chemistry.bd.psu.edu/jircitano/sigfigs.html
- http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryquickreview/a/accuracyprecise.htm
Practice:
Your picture and explanations are very helpful! I need to study my metric conversions, and I found your King Henry Died Drinking Chocolate Milk acronym useful for memorizing these!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the pictures on precise and accuracy! I got them confused alot, I also like how this one post is the one-stop shop for all the information in this unit!
ReplyDeleteI was really confused on the difference between precision and accuracy so thank you so much for posting that! Also the King Hector Died Drinking Chocolate Milk acronym is super helpful for knowing how to convert metric units, which I really need to know! It's really nice that you mentioned everything we've learned in this unit so I can review everything at once!
ReplyDeleteAll of your pictures were helpful in giving a new way to approach the information. They helped me further understand it. Also, I can now understand significant figures easier.
ReplyDelete