Question

How many significant figures are in the number \[0.007080\] ?

Answer 1

Hint:In the given question, you have been asked to find the significant figures. Significant figures usually refer to any number of significant digits, 0-9 are wholly inclusive. To finding out significant figures, you have to keep in mind that zeros that are present between any two significant digit are also significant, trailing zeros which are on the right side of the decimal point, are considered to be significant, Leading zeros before the non-zero figures are not considered to be significant.

Complete step by step answer:
We have the given number: \[0.007080\]. According to the rule,leading zeros before the non-zero figures are not considered to be significant. Therefore, all the zeros before 7, not considered as significant figures.All zeros between two non-zero figures are considered to be significant.Hence, 708 are considered to be significant figures. Till now, we have a total of 3 significant figures. A final or tailing zero is significant only when it’s in the decimal position.Therefore, according to the above rule the last zero in the decimal place is considered to be a significant figure.

Hence, there are a total of 4 significant figures.

Note:These are the three most important rules of significant figures:
-Non-zero figures can always be significant.
-Any zeros that is present between two significant digits are still significant.
-A final or tailing zero is significant only when it’s in the decimal position.
-The first zero that is not present between any two significant figures, and is not present towards the right of the decimals, is not considered significant.
-In the decimal a last zero or trailing zeros are considered to be significant.