Significant Figures
A laboratory measurement of a copper wire gives its length as 7.203 m recorded on a calibrated tape. How many significant figures are present in this recorded value?
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About This Question
- Subject
- physics
- Chapter
- physics and measurement
- Topic
- significant figures
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
4
As explained in NCERT Class 11, Chapter 2 (Units and Measurements), significant figures represent the digits in a measurement that are known reliably plus the first uncertain digit. The rules state that all non-zero digits are significant, and zeros lying between two non-zero digits are also significant regardless of the decimal point. In the value 7.203 m, the digits 7, 2, 0 and 3 are all counted; the zero is sandwiched between 2 and 3 so it is significant. This gives a total of four significant figures. The option 3 is wrong because it incorrectly discards the embedded zero. The option 5 is wrong since there is no fifth digit in the number. The option 2 is wrong because it ignores three clearly recorded digits. A final check shows that the precision implied by four significant figures matches a millimetre-level tape reading, which is physically reasonable for a metre-scale wire.
This easy difficulty physics question is from the chapter physics and measurement, covering the topic of significant figures. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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