Measurements:

Every measurement has UNITS.

Every measurement has UNCERTAINTY.

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Accuracy and Precision in Measurements

Accuracy: how close a

measurement is to the accepted
value.

Precision: how close a series of

measurements are to one
another or how far out a
measurement is taken.
A measurement can have high
precision, but not be as accurate
as a less precise one.
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Significant Figures are used to indicate the precision of
a measured number or to express the precision of a
calculation with measured numbers.

In any
measurement
the digit farthest
to the right is
considered to be
estimated.

0 1 2

1.3 2.0 3
Sig. Fig. Rules (with measurements):

All non-zero digits are significant.

Zeros at the end of a measurement?

scientific notation:
5000 5 x 103
5.0 x 103
5000
5.00 x 103
5000 5.000 x 103
5.0000 x 103
5000
5.00000 x 103
5000.0
4
5000.00
 Zeros at the beginning a number are not significant.

0.005
0.0050
0.00500

0.00505

Counted numbers and definitions (2.54 cm =

1 inch) are considered to be exact and
have no effect on the number of sig. figs.
reported in calculations with measurements.
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 Calculations with sig. Figs.

Addition and subtraction:

Look at places!

3.63 cm
13.129 cm
+123.1 cm
139.859 cm = 139.9 cm

significant to 6
the 0.1 place
 Measurement Calculations with scientific
notation.
Addition/subtraction: must be placed into the
same notation.
(2.3 x 103) + (3.2 x 104) =

0.23 x 104
+3.2 x 104

3.43 x 104 = 3.4 x 104

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 Calculations with Sig. figs.
Multiplication and division (measurements):

You must be
able to
count.

2.734 cm x 5.2 cm x 8.1294 cm = 115.5740539 cm3

4 s.f. 2 s.f. 5 s.f. written as 120 cm3

2 s.f.’s 8
1. The term that is related to the reproducibility (repeatability) of a
measurement is
a. accuracy.
b. precision.
Let’s take a “Quiz”
c. qualitative.
d. quantitative. b. precision.
e. property.

2. The number of significant figures in the mass measured as

0.010210 g is
a. 1.
b. 2.
c. 3.
d. 4. e. 5.
e. 5.

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 3. The number of significant figures in 6.0700 x 10
-4… is
a. 3.
b. 4.
c. 5.
d. 6. c. 5.
e. 7.

4. How many significant figures are there in the value 0.003060?

a. 7
b. 6
c. 5
d. 4
e. 3

d. 4

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