Significant Digits: a) 4 or 5 & b) 5 or 7

In summary, a student's online coursework was marked incorrect. They believe their work was marked wrong and seek advice on how to fix the issue. Their teacher denies the student's claim and offers them a different assignment with incorrect answers. This makes the student very angry and they are considering dropping the class.
  • #1
joejo
150
0
hi guys...

i'm taking an online course and i believe my work was marked wrong...

State the number of significant digits.

a) 0.0029550 m b) 7.050800 kN

can someone please tell me the # of signifcant digits!

is a) 4 or 5 and b) 5 or7

thanks guys...
 
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  • #2
For A, ask why they just didn't write it as 0.002955 instead of 0.0029550.
Why did they feel that it was significant to include an extra 0?

Why didn't they write 0.00295500000 ?

Same logic to part B.

Here's a nice link that explains significant digits. At the end of the page there's a link that says "practice". It gives you a sig digit quiz. But you can also type your own problems too and check if you're right.


http://academic.umf.maine.edu/~magri/tools/SigFigsAndRounding.html#SigFigRules
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #3
I know how to find it out...my teacher is denying I am wrong?? please let me know which answer is right!
 
  • #4
SOMEONE please my midterm is coming up this week...i need to fix this problem
 
  • #5
A-5
B-7
um i got to type more stuff to post, this should be enough
 
  • #6
thanks a lot that's what i wrote and i was getting 100% in that class but now my mark dropped!
 
  • #7
what did your teacher say
 
  • #8
from experience, DO NOT tell your teacher there wrong

find a way that will let the teacher correct the mistake themselve
 
  • #9
lawtonfogle said:
from experience, DO NOT tell your teacher there wrong

find a way that will let the teacher correct the mistake themselve
That's very good advice! The way you phrase your complaint could mean everything, especially if your teacher has an ego.

I'd have to agree with a-5, b-7
 
  • #10
if you want to know, that advice comes experienced with a teacher with an ego the size of the class room, which was big

it was one of my bad 9th grade days.
 
  • #11
hey lawton foggle your a bit to late...I told him he was wrong...and now wat he did is sent me the corrected version of the assignment with completely wrong answers...it's driving me nuts. And when I complain to the principle. He says we wouldn't hire someone unqualified. He's been doing it for the few assignments. My mark went from 100 to 77 and I am going NUTS...23% because he feels like failing me...
 

1. What are significant digits?

Significant digits, also known as significant figures, are the digits in a number that are reliable and meaningful. They indicate the precision of a measured or calculated value.

2. How do you determine the number of significant digits in a number?

The rules for determining significant digits are as follows:

  • All non-zero digits are significant.
  • Zeroes between non-zero digits are significant.
  • Leading zeroes are not significant.
  • Trailing zeroes after a decimal point are significant.
  • Trailing zeroes before a decimal point may or may not be significant, depending on the measurement.

3. When is it appropriate to round to 4 significant digits?

Rounding to 4 significant digits is appropriate when the original value has 5 or more significant digits. The fourth digit should be rounded up if the fifth digit is 5 or greater, and rounded down if the fifth digit is less than 5.

4. When is it appropriate to round to 5 significant digits?

Rounding to 5 significant digits is appropriate when the original value has 6 or more significant digits. The fifth digit should be rounded up if the sixth digit is 5 or greater, and rounded down if the sixth digit is less than 5.

5. How do significant digits affect calculations?

The result of a calculation should have the same number of significant digits as the value with the fewest significant digits used in the calculation. For example, if multiplying a value with 3 significant digits by a value with 4 significant digits, the result should be rounded to 3 significant digits.

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