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Multiple Choice
How many significant figures should be reported for the following calculation: 5.2110 × 12.20 ÷ (11.44 − 2.113)
A
1
B
2
C
3
D
4
E
5
Verified step by step guidance
1
Identify the number of significant figures in each of the numbers involved in the calculation: 5.2110 has 5 significant figures, 12.20 has 4 significant figures, and 11.44 and 2.113 have 4 and 4 significant figures respectively.
Perform the subtraction in the denominator: (11.44 - 2.113). The result of a subtraction should have the same number of decimal places as the number with the fewest decimal places in the operation.
Determine the number of decimal places in the subtraction result: Since 11.44 has 2 decimal places and 2.113 has 3 decimal places, the result should be rounded to 2 decimal places.
Perform the multiplication and division: 5.2110 × 12.20 ÷ (result from subtraction). The result of a multiplication or division should have the same number of significant figures as the number with the fewest significant figures in the operation.
Determine the number of significant figures in the final result: The number with the fewest significant figures in the multiplication and division is 12.20, which has 4 significant figures. Therefore, the final result should be reported with 4 significant figures.