Knowra Significant figures Significant figures Significant figures are the digits in a reported number that convey its measured precision under stated conventions. Their count depends on notation and on how measurements and calculations are reported.
Rounding : Replacing a number with a nearby value that has fewer digits or a simpler form. Rounding limits a calculated result to the precision justified by its inputs.
Measurement : The process of assigning values to properties by comparison with defined units. Significant figures summarize aspects of the precision of measured values.
Error analysis : The study of errors in measurements and numerical calculations, including their sources and effects. It examines numerical reliability more broadly than significant-figure rules.
Laboratory report : A document recording an experiment's methods, observations, analysis, and conclusions. Laboratory reports use significant figures to make measured results comparable and interpretable.
Scientific notation : A way to write numbers as a coefficient multiplied by a power of ten. Its coefficient makes the intended number of significant figures explicit.
Precision and accuracy : Precision describes measurement consistency; accuracy describes closeness to an accepted value. Significant figures concern reported precision, not whether a measurement is accurate.
Floating-point arithmetic : Computer arithmetic that represents real numbers with finite precision and a fixed format. Machine rounding errors arise from representation limits, not measurement reporting conventions.
Chemical stoichiometry : The quantitative study of reactants and products in chemical reactions. Calculated quantities must reflect the precision of measured masses and volumes.
Measurement uncertainty : A quantified range of values that characterizes doubt about a measurement result. Uncertainty gives significant figures their connection to the limits of measurement.
Metrology : The science of measurement, including units, methods, standards, and uncertainty. Metrology supplies the standards behind defensible precision claims.
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