How many of the following numbers contain three significant figures?
0.408 9.040 0.0400 9.05 × 10²⁴

Question

How many of the following numbers contain three significant figures? 0.408 9.040 0.0400 9.05 × 10²⁴ A)one B)two C)three D)four

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A number has three significant figures if it has one non-zero digit before the decimal point and two digits after the decimal point (if there are any). Using this rule, we can see that 0.408, 9.040, and 0.0400 all have three significant figures. The last number, 9.05 × 10^11, is written in scientific notation and therefore only has two significant figures (9 and 5). Therefore, the answer is C) three.

How Many of the Following Numbers Contain Three Significant Figures