What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you
master the measurements. The scope of this module permits it to be used in many
different learning situations. The language used recognizes the diverse vocabulary
level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the
course. But the order in which you read them can be changed to correspond with
the textbook you are now using.

The module has one lesson, namely:

 Lesson 1 – Least Concept to Estimate Error

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Use the least count concept to estimate errors associated with single
measurements.
 What I Know

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of
paper.

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of
paper.

1. Considering the correct number of significant figures, evaluate the

following operation, 3.73 x 5.7 = _____.
a. 21 c. 21.26
b. 21.00 d. 21.261

2. Compute 3.24 m + 0.532 m to the correct number of significant

figures.
a. 3.77 c. 3.8
b. 3.772 d. 4.00

3. The sum of 1.04 + 2.1135 + 3.1 + 3.403 is_____

a. 9.6565 c. 9.66
b. 9.6 d. 9.70

4. Solve: 7.45 x 108 + 4.97 x 10-2 – 6.67 x 105 is equal to___

a. 7443.33 x 105 c. 7.44333 x 10-2
b. 7.44 x 108 d. 7443.330000497

5. Which of the following examples illustrates a number that is correctly

rounded to three significant figures?
a. 0.03954 g to 4.040 g c. 20.0332 g to 20.0 g

b. 4.05438 g to 4.054 g d. 103.692 g to 103.7 g

 6. Which of the following numbers contains the designated CORRECT
number of significant figures?
a. 0.00302 2 significant figures
b. 0.04300 5 significant figures
c. 1.04 2 significant figures
d. 3.0560 4 significant figures
e. 156 000 3 significant figures

7. A calculator answer of 423.6059 must be rounded off to three

significant figures. What answer is reported?
a. 420 b. 423 c. 423.6 d. 423.7 e. 424

8. Which of the following is CORRECT?

a. 2.450 x 107 rounded to two significant digits 2.4 x 107
b. 3.56 rounded to two significant digits is 3.6
c. 77.889 x 106 rounded to three significant digits is 77.8 x 106
d. 122.5 rounded to two significant digits is 120

9. The following observations have been made: 64.52, 3.0, 11.081. the
correctly written sum is
a. 78.6
b. 78.60
c. 78.6010
d. 79

10. The quantity 0.245 x 36.74 / 200.0 = 0.045007, computed from

measured values, should be written in an engineering report as

a. 0.04500 c. 4.50 x 10-2

b. 4.5 x 10-2 d. 5 x 10-2
11. The mass of a watch glass was measured four times. The masses
were 99.997 g, 100.008 g, 100.001 g, 100.005 g. What is the average
mass of the watch glass?
a. 100.00 g c. 100.005 g
b. 100.01 g d. 100.00525 g

12. When performing the calculation 34.530 g + 12.1 g + 1 222.34 g, the

final answer must have
a. only one decimal place c. three significant figures
b. three decimal places d. unit of g3

13. How many significant figures are in the measurement of 102 400
meters?
a. three b. four c. five d. six

14. 923 g is divided by 20 312 cm3

a. 0.045 g/cm3 c. 0.0454 g/cm3
b. 4.00 x 10-2 g/cm3 d. 0.04 g/cm3

15. Complete the following problem: A piece of stone has a mass of

24.595 grams and a volume of 5.34 cm 3. What is the density of the stone?
(remember that density = m/v)

a. 0.22 cm3/g

b. 4.606 g/cm3

c. 4.61 g/cm3

d. 0.217 cm3/g

Lesson Measurement
 1
It is important to be honest when reporting a measurement, so that it does not
appear to be more accurate than the equipment used to make the measurement
allows. We can achieve this by controlling the number of digits, or significant
figures, used to report the measurement.

Measurement values are only as accurate as the measurement equipment used to

collect them. For example, measuring meters with a meter stick is rather accurate;
measuring millimeters (1/1,000 of a meter) with a meter stick is inaccurate. Using
significant figures helps prevent the reporting of measured values that the
measurement equipment is not capable of determining. A significant figure is
comprised of the fewest digits capable of expressing a measured value without
losing accuracy. As the sensitivity of the measurement equipment increases, so
does the number of significant figures. Knowing the rules for working with
significant figures can help your students. “Rounding” numbers is the usual
method of achieving significant figures. Once the appropriate number of significant
figures for any measurement, calculation, or equation is determined, students can
practice rounding their answers appropriately.

What’s In

Compare and contrast accuracy and precision; random and systematic error.

Notes to the Teacher

It is significant that learners had background on the use of
integers, decimal, exponent, mathematical operations.
 What’s New

To determine the number of significant figures in a number

use the following 3 rules:
1. Non-zero digits are always significant
2. Any zeros between two significant digits are significant
3. A final zero or trailing zeros in the decimal portion ONLY are significant
Example:  .500 or .632000 the zeros are significant
                 .006  or .000968 the zeros are NOT significant
 

For addition and subtraction use the following rules:

1. Count the number of significant figures in the decimal portion ONLY of each
number in the problem
2. Add or subtract in the normal fashion
3. Your final answer may have no more significant figures to the right of the
decimal than the LEAST number of significant figures in any number in the
problem.
 

For multiplication and division use the following rule:

1. The LEAST number of significant figures in any number of the problem
determines the number of significant figures in the answer. (You are now
looking at the entire number, not just the decimal portion)
*This means you have to be able to recognize significant figures in order to use
this rule*
      Example: 5.26 has 3 significant figures
                      6.1 has 2 significant figures
 What is It

Rules for Significant Figure

1. All non-zero numbers ARE significant. The number 33.2 has THREE
significant figures because all of the digits present are non-zero.
2. Zeros between two non-zero digits ARE significant. 2051 has FOUR
significant figures. The zero is between a 2 and a 5.
3. Leading zeros are NOT significant. They're nothing more than "place holders."
The number 0.54 has only TWO significant figures. 0.0032 also has TWO
significant figures. All of the zeros are leading.
4. Trailing zeros to the right of the decimal ARE significant. There are FOUR
significant figures in 92.00.
92.00 is different from 92: a scientist who measures 92.00 milliliters knows his
value to the nearest 1/100th milliliter; meanwhile his colleague who measured 92
milliliters only knows his value to the nearest 1 milliliter. It's important to
understand that "zero" does not mean "nothing." Zero denotes actual information,
just like any other number. You cannot tag on zeros that aren't certain to belong
there.
5. Trailing zeros in a whole number with the decimal shown ARE
significant. Placing a decimal at the end of a number is usually not done. By
convention, however, this decimal indicates a significant zero. For example, "540."
indicates that the trailing zero IS significant; there are THREE significant figures in
this value.
6. Trailing zeros in a whole number with no decimal shown are NOT
significant. Writing just "540" indicates that the zero is NOT significant, and there
are only TWO significant figures in this value.
7. Exact numbers have an INFINITE number of significant figures. This rule
applies to numbers that are definitions. For example, 1 meter = 1.00 meters =
1.0000 meters = 1.0000000000000000000 meters, etc.

So now back to the example posed in the Rounding Tutorial: Round 1000.3 to four

significant figures. 1000.3 has five significant figures (the zeros are between non-
zero digits 1 and 3, so by rule 2 above, they are significant.) We need to drop the
final 3, and since 3 < 5, we leave the last zero alone. so 1000. is our four-
significant-figure answer. (from rules 5 and 6, we see that in order for the trailing
zeros to "count" as significant, they must be followed by a decimal. Writing just
"1000" would give us only one significant figure.)
8. For a number in scientific notation: N x 10x, all digits comprising N ARE
significant by the first 6 rules; "10" and "x" are NOT significant. 5.02 x 104 has
THREE significant figures: "5.02." "10 and "4" are not significant.
Rule 8 provides the opportunity to change the number of significant figures in a
value by manipulating its form. For example, let's try writing 1100 with THREE
significant figures. By rule 6, 1100 has TWO significant figures; its two trailing
zeros are not significant. If we add a decimal to the end, we have 1100., with FOUR
significant figures (by rule 5.) But by writing it in scientific notation: 1.10 x 103, we
create a THREE-significant-figure value.
 What’s More

A. How many significant figures are in each of the

following numbers?

1. 1.234

2. 1.2340

3. 1.234 x 10-3

4. 1.2340 x 10-3

5. 1234

6. 12340

7. 0.012340

8. 12.34

9. 123.4

10. 1.23400 x 10-5

B. Express the following number in scientific notation

with correct significant figure.

1. 900 000 (3SF)

2. 3400 (2SF)
3. 45 (3SF)
4. 0.815 (2SF)
5. 0.00891 (2SF)
6. 4 500 (2SF)
7. 0.00766 (1SF)
8. 56 000 (2SF)
9. 34 000 (3SF)

10.8930 (4SF)
 What I Have Learned

1. Significant figures of a measured or calculated quantity are the meaningful digits

in it.
2. Any digit that is not zero is significant.
3. Zeros between non-zeros digits are significant.
4. Zeros to the left of the first non-zero digit are not significant.
5. For numbers with decimal points, zeros to the right of a non-zero digit are
significant.
 What I Can Do

What are the significant things do you have in your possession?

Who are the significant people surrounds you?
Cite rules to consider significant people and things that you have.

Assessment

Multiple Choice. Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a
separate sheet of paper.

1. Considering the correct number of significant figures, evaluate the

following operation, 3.73 x 5.7 = _____.

a. 21 c. 21.26
b. 21.00 d. 21.261

2. Compute 3.24 m + 0.532 m to the correct number of significant figures.

a. 3.77 c. 3.8
b. 3.772 d. 4.00

3. The sum of 1.04 + 2.1135 + 3.1 + 3.403 is_____

a. 9.6565 c. 9.66
b. 9.6 d. 9.70
4. Solve: 7.45 x 108 + 4.97 x 10-2 – 6.67 x 105 is equal to___

a. 7443.33 x 105 c. 7.44333 x 10-2

b. 7.44 x 108 d. 7443.330000497

5. Which of the following examples illustrates a number that is correctly

rounded to three significant figures?

a. 0.03954 g to 4.040 g c. 20.0332 g to 20.0 g

b. 4.05438 g to 4.054 g d. 103.692 g to 103.7 g

6. Which of the following numbers contains the designated CORRECT

number of significant figures?

a. 0.00302 2 significant figures

b. 0.04300 5 significant figures

c. 1.04 2 significant figures

d. 3.0560 4 significant figures

e. 156 000 3 significant figures

7. A calculator answer of 423.6059 must be rounded off to three significant

figures. What answer is reported?

a. 420 b. 423 c. 423.6 d. 423.7 e. 424

8. Which of the following is CORRECT?

a. 2.450 x 107 rounded to two significant digits 2.4 x 107

b. 3.56 rounded to two significant digits is 3.6

c. 77.889 x 106 rounded to three significant digits is 77.8 x 106

d. 122.5 rounded to two significant digits is 120

 9. The following observations have been made: 64.52, 3.0, 11.081. the
correctly written sum is

a. 78.6

b. 78.60

c. 78.6010

d. 79

10. The quantity 0.245 x 36.74 / 200.0 = 0.045007, computed from

measured values, should be written in an engineering report as

a. 0.04500 c. 4.50 x 10-2

b. 4.5 x 10-2 d. 5 x 10-2

11. The mass of a watch glass was measured four times. The masses
were 99.997 g, 100.008 g, 100.001 g, 100.005 g. What is the average
mass of the watch glass?
a. 100.00 g c. 100.005 g
b. 100.01 g d. 100.00525 g

12. When performing the calculation 34.530 g + 12.1 g + 1 222.34 g, the

final answer must have
a. only one decimal place c. three significant figures
b. three decimal places d. unit of g3

13. How many significant figures are in the measurement of 102 400
meters?
a. three b. four c. five d. six

14. 923 g is divided by 20 312 cm3

a. 0.045 g/cm3 c. 0.0454 g/cm3
b. 4.00 x 10-2 g/cm3 d. 0.04 g/cm3
15. Complete the following problem: A piece of stone has a mass of
24.595 grams and a volume of 5.34 cm 3. What is the density of the stone?
(remember that density = m/v)

a. 0.22 cm3/g

b. 4.606 g/cm3

c. 4.61 g/cm3

d. 0.217 cm3/g
 Additional Activities

The next station featured fifteen cards.  Each card has a number that has
anywhere from one to five significant figures.  Students didn't know this, but there
were three cards with one significant figure, three cards with two significant
figures, etc.
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