Three length measurements are noted as follows: .

PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Units and Measurements · Units and Measurements

Problem

Three length measurements are noted as follows:

D_{1}=125000\,\text{m},\quad D_{2}=0.005420\,\text{m},\quad D_{3}=4.3200\times10^{7}\,\text{m}

. (a) Rewrite

D_{1}

and

D_{2}

in scientific notation, retaining the correct number of significant figures inherent in the original values. (b) For each of

D_{1}

D_{2}

and

D_{3}

, state the exact number of significant figures. (c) Arrange the three measurements in ascending order of the number of significant figures and comment briefly on how the placement of trailing zeros in standard form versus scientific notation influences this count.

Related theory

Precision & Reporting
Significant figures and magnitude
Significant figures and rounding

Browse the problem library