1. ©G Dear 2008 – Not to be sold/Free to use
Units of
Measurement
General Mathematics
Preliminary
Significant
Figures
Stage 6 - Year 11
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©G Dear 2008 – Not to be sold/Free to use

2. Significant Figures (1/3)
Accuracy is limited by the instrument used in the measurement.
Significant figures represent the practical degree of accuracy.
We DON’T need to know the distance of the Sun from the earth to the nearest kilometre.
3 significant figures is enough.
km.

3. Significant Figures (2/3)
Significant figures are the given number of non-zero numbers from the left.
Zeros at the beginning
Zeros at the end may be significant.
are not significant.
0.00
3 406
000
Zeros in the middle are significant.

4. Significant Figures (3/3)
Write the following numbers to the significant figures shown in [ ].
[2]
[1]
[3]
4.55
[2]
40 000
[3]