Up to the first gold example.
Gold is still selling for $25.06 per gram.
 | This is a 1-place balance. It is an instrument of low precision, but is relatively cheap to purchase. |
On the 1-place balance, the gold weighs 1.6 g.
There are only 2 significant figures in this measurement.
In this case, the gold is worth
Notice that our answer is only quoted to two significant figures. This is because the least precise of our measurements was only to two significant figures.
These two examples reveal quite a variation in the value of the gold! In our situation, the less precise instrument gave the cheaper valuation. However, you should realise that if the gold weighed, say, 1.592 grams, the second measurement would give a greater value than the first measurement.
The next pages show how to determine the number of significant figures in both measurements and calculations.
Determining the number of significant figures.
Table of Contents