Sig Figs

[505578531]

I was just wondering how we should go about sig figs? (sorry if this was already asked and anwered I couldn't find it) Also are we penalized for incorrect use of sig figs?

[SamayaJoshi1A]

Normally, rounding to three sig figs is acceptable. My TA noted that she normally rounds to how many sig figs are used in the question. I will ask again though and Dr. Lavelle should say something about this!

[Sarah Hernandez 1F]

Another thing to note is that you should not round to get sig figs until the final step of the problem when you get the solution.

[Meghan Krushena 2E]

Another good tip for Sig Figs is to put your answer in the same amount of Sig Figs as the numbers that are given in the question...for example if we are given in a number in the question with 3 Sig Figs, round/write your answer so it has the same amount. If you get marked down for incorrect Sig Figs using this method, you have evidence to support why you chose to use that many if it was not explicitly stated otherwise

[Queena Chu 3E]

Two main things I keep in mind while using sig figs is:
1. the number of sig figs used in the problem itself
2. don't decide the number of sig figs until the end of the whole problem to get the most accurate number

[Tobie Jessup 2E]

In high school I was taught to use 3 sig figs but I think a good rule of thumb is to avoid rounding util the end and use the same amount of sig figs that is used in the problem.

[Amanda Bueno-Kling]

I agree, it's best to use the number of sig figs used in the problem, and wait to round until you are done. I was taught in high school to default to three sig figs otherwise. However, if there are different numbers of sig figs in each number in the problem, use the lowest number of sig figs.

[Lily Anne Garcia 1C]

Basically, you want to use the same amount of sigfigs as the value given in the problem with the least amount. If the given values were .0078, 5.076, and .72635, your answer should only contain 2 sigfigs. I'm not too sure if we will get penalized for using the wrong amount of sig figs, but I would assume so. Hope this helped

[Rayna Irving 2C]

Usually, I use the same amount of sig figs in my answer as the number with the least amount in the problem. If the tests happen to be multiple choice, however, I don't know how much making an error in this process would affect our grade, but I would stick to this method just to be safe.

[Justin Zhang_1A]

Normally, you should use the same amount of sig figs as the least number of sig figs given in the problem. You should also avoid rounding until the very last step to avoid rounding errors.

[Sabine Salvucci 2E]

In your answer, use the same number of sig figs as the value with the lowest number of sig figs in the problem (unless stated otherwise). I think my TA mentioned that we would be slightly penalized for sig fig errors.

[Nico Medina]

Use lowest number of sig figs given in a value by the problem. This is as far out in decimals that we can exactly be "sure" of. Hope this helps!

[Sejal Parsi 3K]

I think it’s best to use the amount of sig figs given in the problem, and to not round your answer until the very end to keep it accurate. I believe my TA said we could be partially penalized if our sig figs are way off.

[Jada3J]

Regarding the Midterm, many of the UAs and TAs are saying that sig figs are not to be concerned about in the final answer due to it being multiple choice.

[Savana Maxfield 3F]

According to my TA, significant figures should not be of a large concern, due to the fact that our midterm is multiple choice. However, that being said, I am not sure if there will be questions specifically about significant figures. In that case, I believe values should be rounded to the least amount of significant figures in the calculation.