How many significant figures are in each of the following.
a) 1.700cm
b) 350.00K
c) 1.3x10(to the3rd) m/s
And also when converting between temperatures are significant figures needed? For example say I want to convert 25 Celcius into Kelvin, it would be 25+273.15 so the answer would be 298.15 Kelvin. The lowest number of sig figs are needed when adding and 25 is two sig figs so would the answer be 298.15 Kelvin (5 sig figs) or two sig figs?
a) 1.700cm
b) 350.00K
c) 1.3x10(to the3rd) m/s
And also when converting between temperatures are significant figures needed? For example say I want to convert 25 Celcius into Kelvin, it would be 25+273.15 so the answer would be 298.15 Kelvin. The lowest number of sig figs are needed when adding and 25 is two sig figs so would the answer be 298.15 Kelvin (5 sig figs) or two sig figs?
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a) 4 significant figures (all zeros to the right of a decimal point are significant, unless they are leading zeros)
b) 5 significant figures
c) 2 significant figures (just the 1.3 are significant)
When adding two numbers, you cannot have any more digits to the right of the decimal than the fewest in the numbers you are adding. Since 25 C has no digits to the right of the decimal, when you add it to 273.15, the answer would be 298 K. If your initial temperature was written as 25.00 C, then your answer would have 2 digits to the right of the decimal, and would be 298.15 K.
Hope that helps...
b) 5 significant figures
c) 2 significant figures (just the 1.3 are significant)
When adding two numbers, you cannot have any more digits to the right of the decimal than the fewest in the numbers you are adding. Since 25 C has no digits to the right of the decimal, when you add it to 273.15, the answer would be 298 K. If your initial temperature was written as 25.00 C, then your answer would have 2 digits to the right of the decimal, and would be 298.15 K.
Hope that helps...
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a) If trailing zeros continue past the decimal, they are significant. This has 4 significant figures.
b) Same rationale, it has 5 significant figures.
c) 2 significant figures. the numbers involved in 10^3 are not part of the measurement, they only set the decimal point.
If you have measured the temperature as 25 C, you have measured it to the nearest degree only. You can't suddenly express it to the nearest hundredth of a degree just because you changed temperature scales. With proper significant figures, 25 + 273.15 = 298
b) Same rationale, it has 5 significant figures.
c) 2 significant figures. the numbers involved in 10^3 are not part of the measurement, they only set the decimal point.
If you have measured the temperature as 25 C, you have measured it to the nearest degree only. You can't suddenly express it to the nearest hundredth of a degree just because you changed temperature scales. With proper significant figures, 25 + 273.15 = 298