Why do we cut off significant figures if they’re more accurate

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Hey, when we solve for significant figures, why do we completely get rid of the remaining decimals even though hey have more accurate information?

Ex. 1.23*4.84=5.9532 but we would make it 5.95 based on Sig figs, even though those last two decimals are closer to the answer. Why is this? I know it’s less accurate, though it seems like we’re losing valuable accuracy (even if it’s not perfect, it should be closer)

In: Mathematics

17 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

For some other reason (usually measurement accuracy) we know our data isn’t that accurate, so we remove significant figures as a convenient way to communicate the lack of accuracy

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