GENERAL CHEMISTRY I WORKSHEET # 3
Name: ____________________________________ 12-STEM ______ Date: ________________
SIGNIFICANT DIGITS
1. Significant numbers are always measurements and thus should always be accompanied by the measurement's unit. For simplicity,
units are not included in the following examples.
2. Any numbers (that are measurements) other than zero are significant. (Many times the zeros are also significant as you will see
below.) Thus, 123.45 contains five significant digits.
3. Any zeros between numbers are significant; thus, 1002.05 contains six significant digits.
4. Unless told differently, all zeros to the left of an understood decimal point (a decimal that is not printed) but to the right of the last
number are not significant. The number 921000 contains three significant digits.
5. Any zeros to the left of a number but to the right of a decimal point are not significant. 921000. has six significant digits.
6. These zeros are present merely to indicate the presence of a decimal point (they are used as place holders), (these zeros are not part
of the measurement. The number 0.00123 has three significant digits. The reason that these zeros are not significant is that the
measurement 0.00123 grams is equal in magnitude to the measurement 1.23 milligrams. 1.23 has three significant digits, thus
0.0123 must also have three significant digits.
7. Any zeros to the right of a number and the right of a decimal point are significant. The values 0.012300 and 25.000 both contain
five significant digits. The reason for this is that significant figures indicate to what place a measurement is made. Thus, the
measurement 25.0 grams tells us that the measurement was made to the tenths place. (The accuracy of the scale is to the tenth place.)
Give the number of significant digits in each of the following measurements:
1. 1278.50 __________ 7. 8.002 _________ 13. 43.050 __________
2. 120000 __________ 8. 823.012 __________ 14. 0.147 __________
3. 90027.00 __________ 9. 0.005789 __________ 15. 6271.91 __________
4. 0.0053567 __________ 10. 2.60 __________ 16. 6 __________
5. 670 __________ 11. 542000. __________ 17. 3.47 __________
6. 0.00730 __________ 12. 2653008.0 __________ 18. 387465 __________
Round off the following numbers to three significant digits:
19. 120000 _______________ 22. 4.53619 _______________
20. 5.457 _______________ 23. 43.659 _______________
21. 0.0008769 _______________ 24. 876493 _______________
Significant figures in derived quantities (Calculations)
In all calculations, the answer must be governed by the least significant figure employed.
ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION:
The answer should be rounded off so as to contain the same number of decimal places as the number with the least number of decimal
places. In other words, an answer can be only as accurate as the number with the least accuracy.
Thus: 11.31 + 33.264 + 4.1 = 48.674 Rounded off to 48.7
MULTIPLICATION AND DIVISION:
The answer should be rounded off to contain the same number of digits as found in the LEAST accurate of the values.
Thus: 5.282 x 3.42 = 18.06444 Rounded off to 18.1
Perform the following operations, giving the proper number of significant figures in the answer:
25. 23.4 x 14 _______________
26. 7.895 + 3.4 _______________
27. 0.0945 x 1.47 _______________
28. 0.005 - 0.0007 _______________
29. 7.895 / 34 _______________
30. 0.2 / 0.0005 _______________
31. 350.0 - 200 _______________
32. 27.68 - 14.369 _______________
33. 3.08 x 5.2 _______________
34. 0.0036 x 0.02 _______________
35. 4.35 x 2.74 x 3.008 _______________
36. 35.7 x 0.78 x 2.3 _______________
37. 3.76 / 1.62 _______________
38. 0.075 / 0.030 _______________
39. 65 000(0.08 x 200 x 0.004) / (800 x 300) _______________
40. [(11.34 − 9.63) / 11.34] × 100.00 _______________
41. [(2.0265 − 2.02) / 2.0265] × 100.00 _______________
Prepared by: Noted by:
MANUEL PAULO B. ACOGIDO EMMANUEL A. VIRTUCIO
SST-I, OIC, SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
BRIAN B. DE LIMA
General Chemistry Teachers
