Which statement correctly justifies that the number contains three significant figures?
PHYSICS · Single correct · A Level · Physics · Measurements and their errors · Measurements and their errors
Problem
Which statement correctly justifies that the number 3.20×10−5 contains three significant figures?
(a) Only non-zero digits are counted as significant; zeros are never significant.
(b) Trailing zeros to the right of a decimal are not significant unless another non-zero digit follows them.
(c) Significant figures are determined solely by the coefficient; exponent digits are never counted.
(d) Digits appearing in the exponent also contribute to the total number of significant figures.