significant figures (addition)

Question

Compute (12.31 + 0.4 + 3.027) applying significant figure addition rule.

RankGuru · Accepted Answer

1. **Addition/Subtraction Rule**: The result should be rounded to the same number of **decimal places** as the measurement with the fewest decimal places.
2. **Analyze Terms**:
   - $12.31$ has **2** decimal places.
   - $0.4$ has **1** decimal place.
   - $3.027$ has **3** decimal places.
3. **Raw Sum**: $12.31 + 0.4 + 3.027 = 15.737$.
4. **Rounding**: We must round the result to 1 decimal place (the least precise term).
5. **Final Result**: $15.737$ rounds to **$15.7$**.

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significant figures (addition)

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