Form 4 1

Chapter 1 Standard Form

1. Significant Figures
Significant Figures (Part 1)

1. Significant figures are the relevant digits in an integer or a decimal number which has been
rounded up to a value according to a degree of accuracy.
2. In rounding off positive numbers to a given number of significant figures, the significance of
zero is shown as below.

(a) All non-zero digits in a number are significant figures (s. f.).
Example:
(i) 568 (3 s. f.)
(ii) 36.97 (4 s. f.)

(b) All zeroes between non-zero digits are significant.

Example:
(i) 7001 (4 s. f.)
(ii) 3.04 (4 s. f.)
(iii) 22.054 (4 s. f.)

(c) All zeroes that lie on the right of a non- zero digit in a decimal aresignificant.
Example:
(i) 0.70 (2 s. f.)

Form 4 2
Chapter 1 Standard Form

(ii) 4.500 (4 s. f.)

(iii) 3.00 (3 s. f.)

(d) Zeroes that lie on the left of a non-zero digit in a decimal are not significant.
Example:
(i) 0.05 (1 s. f.)
(ii) 0.0040 (2 s. f.)
(iii) 0.07040 (4 s. f.)

(e) Zeroes at the end of a whole number are to be considered as non significant unless stated
otherwise.
Example
(i) 40 (1 s. f.)
(ii) 3670 (3 s. f.)
(iii) 704200 (4 s. f.)

Form 4 3
Chapter 1 Standard Form

Example 1:
Round off the following numbers correct to three significant figures.
(a) 246 = 246 (3 s. f.)
(b) 2463 = 2460 (3 s. f.)
(c) 24632 = 24600 (3 s. f.)
(d) 0.00745 = 0.00745 (3 s. f.)
(e) 0.007453 = 0.00745 (3 s. f.)
(f) 0.007455 = 0.00746 (3 s. f.)
(g) 0.007403 = 0.00740 (3 s. f.)
Example 2:
Round off each of the following numbers to the number of significant figures indicated in
brackets.
(a) 3548 (2 s. f.)
(b) 0.5089 (3 s. f.)
(c) 33.028 (1 s. f.)
(d) 0.40055 (3 s. f.)
(e) 0.681 (2 s. f.)
(f) 38.97 (3 s. f.)

Solution:
(a) 3500 (2 s. f.)
(b) 0.509 (3 s. f.)
(c) 30 (1 s. f.)
(d) 0.401 (3 s. f.)
(e) 0.68 (2 s. f.)
(f) 39.0 (3 s. f.)

Form 4 4
Chapter 1 Standard Form

Significant Figures (Part 2)

1. Perform combined operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) involving

numbers, the final answer is rounded off to specificsignificant figures.

Example:
Find the value of each of the following and give your answer correct to 3significant figures.
(a) 261.9 + 75.6 0.7
(b) 0.062 30.12 + 1.268
(c) 8.6080.0828.358.6080.0828.35
(d) 0.8460.40.1532(d) 0.8460.40.1532

Solution:
(a) 261.9 + 75.6 0.7
= 261.9 + 52.92
= 314.82
= 315 (3 s. f.)

(b) 0.062 30.12 + 1.268

= 1.86744 + 1.268
= 3.13544
= 3.14 (3 s. f.)

Form 4 5
Chapter 1 Standard Form

(c) 8.6080.0828.358.6080.0828.35
= 107.6 28.35
= 79.25
= 79.3 (3 s. f.)

(d) 0.8460.40.15320.8460.40.1532
= 2.115 0.306
= 1.809
= 1.81 (3 s. f.)

Example 1:
Calculate the value of 5.33 + 0.33 17 and give your answer correct to three significant figures.

Solution:
5.33 + 0.33 17
= 5.33 + 5.61
= 10.84
= 10.8 (3 s. f.)

Form 4 6
Chapter 1 Standard Form

Example 2:
Calculate the value of 49.3567 + 16.73 0.5 and give your answer correct to four significant
figures.

Solution:
49.3567 + 16.73 0.5
= 49.3567 + 33.46
= 82.8167
= 82.82 (4 s. f.)
Example 3:
Calculate the value of 3.42 12 3.7 and give your answer correct to four significant figures.

Solution:
3.42 12 3.7
= 1.0545
= 1.055 (4 s. f.)

Form 4 7
Chapter 1 Standard Form

2. Standard Form
Standard Form (Part 1)

1. Standard form is a way of writing very large numbers or very small numbers in the form
of A 10n, where 1A<10 1A<10 and n is a positive or a negative integer.

Example 1:
Express each of the following numbers in standard form.
(a) 7244
(b) 32567
(c) 750000
(d) 0.65
(e) 0.0428
(f) 0.000369

Solution:
(a) 7244
= 7.244 1000
= 7.244 103

Form 4 8
Chapter 1 Standard Form

(b) 32567
= 3.2567 10000
= 3.2567 104

(c) 750000
= 7.5 100000
= 7.5 105

(d) 0.65
=6.50.1
= 6.5 10-1

(e) 0.0428
=4.280.01
= 4.28 10-2

(f) 0.000369
=3.690.0001
= 3.69 10-4

Form 4 9
Chapter 1 Standard Form

Example 2:
Express each of the following numbers in standard form.
(a) 63.4
(b) 2738
(c) 23000
(d) 428000000
(e) 0.0063
(f) 0.000000038

Solution:
(a) 63.4
= 6.34 10
(b) 2738
= 2.738 1000
= 2.738 10
(c) 23000
= 2.3 10000
= 2.3 104
(d) 42800000
= 4.28 10000000
= 4.28 107

Form 4 10
Chapter 1 Standard Form

(e) 0.0063
=6.30.001
= 6.3 10-3

(f) 0.000000038
=3.80.00000001
= 3.8 10-8

Standard Form (Sample Questions)

Example 1:
Find the value of 7.3 103 + 3.2 104 and express your answer in standard form.

Solution:
7.3 103 + 3.2 104
= 7.3 103 + 3.2 101 103
= [7.3 + (3.2 101)] 103
= 39.3 103
= 3.93 104

Form 4 11
Chapter 1 Standard Form

Example 2:
Find the value of 3.3 105 + 6400 and express your answer in standard form.

Solution:
= 3.3 105 + 6.4 103
= 3.3 101 101 103 + 6.4 103
= 330 103 + 6.4 103
= (330 + 6.4) 103
= 336.4 103
= 3.364 105

Form 4 12
Chapter 1 Standard Form

Standard Form Short Questions (Question 1 - 5)

Question 1:
Round off each of the following numbers to the number of significant figures indicated in
brackets.
(a) 80616 (3 s. f.)
(b) 60932 (3 s. f.)
(c) 0.4783 (2 s. f.)
(d) 3.047 (3 s. f.)
(e) 0.00567 (2 s. f.)
(f) 0.05086 (3 s. f.)

Question 2:
Express each of the following as a single numbers.
(a) 8.565 10-5
(b) 1.304 105
(c) 6.754 10-6
(d) 1.0352 104

Form 4 13
Chapter 1 Standard Form

Question 3:
Express each of the following in standard form.
(a) 376510
(b) 47865400
(c) 0.000507
(d) 0.00006408

Question 4:
1.3 1015 + 3.2 1014

Question 5:
0.0000036 2.1 10-7