1. What is the difference between significant figures and decimal places?
When working out significant figures, start at the first non zero digit.
When working out decimal places, start at the decimal point.
2. When writing a number such as 530 046, correct to 3 sig.figs do the zeroes count?
Yes, answer is 530 000 .
3. When writing a number such as 0.0530046, correct to 3 sig.figs do the zeroes in front of the 5 count?
No, answer is 0.0530.
4. How many significant figures are there in the number 530 046?
There are 6 significant figures − the two zeroes do count.
5. Are all zeroes after the decimal point significant?
Yes, a measurement such as 8.900 m should be assumed to be accurate to 4 significant figures.
