Sig Figs

[Matlynn Giles 2E]

Did Dr. Lavelle ever say what we should use for Sig Figs? Will we get points marked off for using too many or too little? Thanks!

[Chem_Mod]

You should follow sig fig rules in your answers. See the "Everything you want to know about Sig Fig" page on his website for further details!

[Laura 3l]

I feel that if as long as you follow the amount of sig figs in the problem then you should be fine and not get docked points.

[Faith Lee 2L]

As a general rule of thumb, it's best to use the same amount of significant figures that are given in the problem :) If our midterm is entirely multiple choice, I don't think you'll have to worry about them too much but it doesn't hurt to get them down for future FRQs or general knowledge :)

[Crystal Hsueh 2L]

I would follow the sig fig rules for multiplication, division, etc. on his website, but also as a general rule of thumb I base my sig figs on the smallest number of sig figs given in the problem. If the problem gives me, say, 12.25 grams and 35.0ml I would round my answer to 3 sig figs. But throughout the calculations I would use exact values to be as precise as possible up until the very end when you round. Hope that makes sense!

[Catherine Bubser 2C]

Has he mentioned if it matters if we use 3.00 or 2.99792 for the speed of light constant c?

[Talia Dini - 3I]

Hi! The number of sig figs in your answer does matter. The number of sig figs in your final answer will be dependent on the number of sig figs in the problem. A wonderful refresher about the rules for sig figs is Dr. Lavelle's "Everything you want to know about sig figs" which is posted on his website.

[Nathan Chu 3H]

The number of sig figs in your answer will definitely matter for in-person/written tests, but for the multiple choice exams, my TA said it is unlikely we will have questions where we will be tested for sig figs. For example the questions won't have the answer choices 3.14 and 3.141.

[John_Tran_3J]

In chemistry, sig figs should be applied to everything for maximum accuracy!

[Muskaan Abdul-Sattar]

I think the general rule is to use the number of significant figures that are in the problem you're looking at!

[TiffanyBrownfield 2I]

In a question, the measured value with the least amount of sig figs will determine how many sig figs your answer should be. Generally when doing numerous consecutive calculations, it's good to use as many digits as you can and wait until the last step to round. This way your answer is the most accurate it can be. However, I don't think any questions Lavelle puts on his tests will be this nitpicky.

[Karen Elrayes 1L]

We don't really need sig figs currently because it is multiple-choice, but it is helpful to know for the future

[Dane_Beasley_1E]

We should always use SigFigs in our answer I believe. It's handy in most situations.