What points should be considered during the addition and subtraction of numbers with significant figures?

Vedclass pdf generator app on play store
Vedclass iOS app on app store
(N/A) In addition and subtraction of numbers with significant figures,the following points should be followed:
$(1)$ If the numbers are whole numbers,they should be added or subtracted using normal arithmetic rules.
For example,
If $A = 25 \text{ g}$ and $B = 2 \text{ g}$,then:
$A + B = 25 + 2 = 27 \text{ g}$
$A - B = 25 - 2 = 23 \text{ g}$
$(2)$ In addition or subtraction,the final result should retain as many decimal places as there are in the number with the least number of decimal places.
For example,add $436.32 \text{ g}$,$227.2 \text{ g}$,and $0.301 \text{ g}$.
$436.32 \text{ g} + 227.2 \text{ g} + 0.301 \text{ g} = 663.821 \text{ g}$
In the number $227.2$,there is only one digit after the decimal point; hence,the result should also have only one digit after the decimal point.
Therefore,$663.821$ should be rounded off to $663.8 \text{ g}$.
For example,to find the difference between $0.307 \text{ m}$ and $0.304 \text{ m}$:
$0.307 \text{ m} - 0.304 \text{ m} = 0.003 \text{ m}$
This should be written as $3 \times 10^{-3} \text{ m}$. It cannot be written as $3.00 \times 10^{-3} \text{ m}$ because the result must reflect the precision of the subtraction.

Explore More

Similar Questions

The respective number of significant figures for the numbers $23.023$,$0.0003$,and $2.1 \times 10^3$ are:

For the four sets of three measured physical quantities as given below,which of the following options is correct?
$(i)$ $A_{1}=24.36, B_{1}=0.0724, C_{1}=256.2$
$(ii)$ $A_{2}=24.44, B_{2}=16.082, C_{2}=240.2$
$(iii)$ $A_{3}=25.2, B_{3}=19.2812, C_{3}=236.183$
$(iv)$ $A_{4}=25, B_{4}=236.191, C_{4}=19.5$

The number of significant figures in the quantity $0.00005041 \ J$ is

The radius of a thin wire is $0.16 \; mm$. The area of cross-section taking significant figures into consideration in square millimeters is?

$A$ length of $5.997 \ m$ rounded off to three significant figures is written as .......... $m$.

Vedclass Products

For Students

Vedclass Test Series

Mock tests in real JEE/NEET style with performance analysis. 5-day free trial.

Start Free Trial
For Teachers

Exam Paper Generator

Generate Set A/B/C/D exam papers from 7.5L+ questions in 2 minutes. 3 chapters free.

Try Free
For Institutes

Online Exam Module

Live online exams with unlimited students, 360° analytics & white-label branding.

See Demo