💏intro to chemistry review

Significant digits

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025

Definition

Significant digits (or significant figures) represent the meaningful digits in a measured or calculated quantity, reflecting its precision. They indicate the accuracy of a number by showing which digits are known reliably.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  1. All non-zero digits are considered significant.
  2. Any zeros between significant digits are also significant.
  3. Leading zeros are not considered significant as they only serve as placeholders.
  4. Trailing zeros in a number containing a decimal point are considered significant.
  5. In multiplication and division, the result should have the same number of significant digits as the measurement with the fewest significant digits.

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