Question

Express the following numbers to four significant figures.
(1) `1.81234xx10^(3)`
(2) 0.008837

Answer 1

(1) The fifth digit is less than 5, therefore result is expressed as `1.812xx10^(3)`
(2) The four digits to be retained are 8.3 and 7 therefore, the number is expressed as `8.837xx10^(-3)`.
Note : The exponential terms does not add to significant figures.