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Significant Figures

When calculating quantities you apply the rules of significant figures in calculations to round off numbers correctly. In general an answer cannot be more precise than the least precise measurement from which it was calculated.

e.g. Area = L x W = 7.7 x 5.4 = 41.58m2

The smallest number of significant figures in the measurements is two significant figures, therefore the answer must be rounded to two significant figures.

Addition and Subtraction

When adding or subtracting numbers in calculations, the answer should be rounded off to have the same number of decimal places as the measurement with the least number of decimal places.

e.g. 38.45 + 3.68 + 124.5 = 166.6

Multiplication and Division

When a calculation involves multiplication or division, the answer must be rounded off to the least number of significant numbers as the least precise term in the calculation.

e.g. 48.354 x 1.6 = 77.3

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