"To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science."

-Albert Einstein

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Do you dig sig figs?

Significant figures have a common appearance in chemistry, and they seem difficult at a glance, but aren't too complex when you go beneath their surface. Rules to remember at that the zeros before a decimal are not significant unless sanwhiched between 2 whole numbers. Also, the zeros to the right of the decimal follow the same rule being that the are significant if between 2 while numbers. Lastly, zeros at the end of the digits to the right of the decimal are significant as well. 

10 comments:

  1. I really liked how you worded this post! It was easy to understand and learn from. I also really appreciated the picture. I agree with you on the fact that these seem complicated at first, too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shaneerah, Thank you so much for posting about significant figures. I was aware about the general rules about significant figures, but when it came to the weekly quiz I could not apply myself. After looking at your post, I can now see that the only numbers that do not count are place holding zeros. Thank you for the post, and keep up the great post!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree with Evan and Marie. I liked the way you put it into such simplistic terms because although it is a pretty easy topic, it seems intimidating and confusing at first. Seeing the visual is helpful too. Thanks for the insight!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree with Evan and Marie. I liked the way you put it into such simplistic terms because although it is a pretty easy topic, it seems intimidating and confusing at first. Seeing the visual is helpful too. Thanks for the insight!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is a great post that sums up the significant figures rules. Thanks for the picture.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you, Shaneerah, for having this awesome picture. Seriously, this summarizes about an entire page of notes in my notebook into just one image. Not only that, your explanation for the topic of sig figs was great and I liked how light you made the topic. It makes the fact that we are learning and have a test tomorrow, not as bad as it could be.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you for the post Shaneerah! I found your picture extremely helpful as it sums up a large portion of the topic into a simple picture. Along with the picture, I thought you did a great job explaining the use of significant figures, and I believe this was a great way to learn and review the significant figures before tomorrow's test.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I agree with your post, sig figs seem difficult at first, but they become easier with more practice and understanding. The explanations and the chart were a good reminder of the specifics and should help me prepare for the unit test.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is a very helpful post for understanding the rules of significant figures! The explanations are clear and the visual aid is colorful and easy to understand. Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  10. That's a great picture! It really helps demonstrate the different placement of the zeroes and what makes them significant or not.

    ReplyDelete