Sig Fig Rounding Calculator

Significant figures (sig figs) are the meaningful digits in a number that contribute to its precision. They include all non-zero digits, zeros between non-zero digits, and trailing zeros after a decimal point.

Find the third significant digit, look at the fourth digit: if it is 5 or greater, round the third digit up; if it is less than 5, keep the third digit as is. Replace all digits after the third significant digit with zeros (or truncate after the decimal).

1009 rounded to 3 sig figs is 1010 (often written as 1.01 x 10^3 to make the 3 sig figs unambiguous). The first three significant digits are 1, 0, 0. The next digit is 9, which is 5 or greater, so the third digit rounds up from 0 to 1, carrying through to give 1010.

78.5 rounded to 1 sig fig is 80 (or 8 x 10^1 in scientific notation). The first significant digit is 7. The next digit is 8, which is 5 or greater, so 7 rounds up to 8, giving 80.

44.981 g rounded to 3 sig figs is 45.0 g. The first three significant digits are 4, 4, 9. The next digit is 8, which is 5 or greater, so 9 rounds up. The 4 in the ones place carries to 5, giving 45.0 g (the trailing zero is required to show 3 sig figs of precision).

14.587020 rounded to 4 sig figs is 14.59. The first four significant digits are 1, 4, 5, 8. The next digit is 7, which is 5 or greater, so the 8 rounds up to 9, giving 14.59.

76.00 rewritten with 1 sig fig is 80 (or 8 x 10^1 in scientific notation, which is unambiguous). The first significant digit is 7. The next digit is 6, which is 5 or greater, so 7 rounds up to 8, giving 80.

No. Leading zeros (zeros before the first non-zero digit) are placeholders only. For example, 0.0045 has 2 significant figures, not 4.

Use sig fig rounding when dealing with measured quantities in science, where the number of meaningful digits matters regardless of magnitude. Use decimal place rounding for financial calculations or when precision is tied to a specific decimal position.

You would add trailing zeros after the decimal point. For example, rounding 1.5 to 4 sig figs gives 1.500, explicitly showing the precision.

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