Question

number | significant figures | explanation
23.56 | 4 | all nonzero digits are significant.
500.01 | 5 | zeros between nonzero digits are significant.
23.560 | 5 | trailing zeros are significant when a decimal point is shown.
0.0078 | 2 | leading zeros are not significant.
1000 | ? | trailing zeros at the end of a number but before a decimal are ambiguous.

part a
determine the number of significant figures in the measurement 101.12 m.
express your answer numerically as an integer.
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part b
determine the number of significant figures in the measurement 0.0030 s.
express your answer numerically as an integer.
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Explanation:

Part A

Step1: Identify non - zero and zero digits

The number is 101.12. The non - zero digits are 1, 1, 1, 2. The zero is between non - zero digits (between the first 1 and the second 1).

Step2: Apply significant figure rules

All non - zero digits are significant, and zeros between non - zero digits are significant. So we count all the digits: 1 (first), 0 (between), 1 (second), 1 (third), 2 (fourth). So the number of significant figures is 5.

Step1: Identify leading and other zeros

The number is 0.0030. Leading zeros (the three zeros before 3) are not significant. The digit 3 is non - zero (significant), and the trailing zero after 3 (before the decimal? No, it's after 3 and there is a decimal context here) is significant because it's a trailing zero in a number with a decimal (implicitly, since it's written as 0.0030, the decimal is there).

Step2: Count significant figures

We have 3 and 0 (the trailing zero). So the significant figures are 3 and 0, so the count is 2.

Answer:

5

Part B