Matter that is made of only one kind of atom is an element, like helium. Helium likes to hang out in groups of two helium atoms.
An atom is the smallest particle of an element that still has its chemical properties. If you have a gold atom and you split it into smaller parts (which you can do), it won’t still act like it did chemically as it did when it was a whole atom.
Please login or register to read the rest of this content.
For addition, your calculated value can’t have more precision than the least precise quantity used to calculate the number. For example:
7.393 + 6.26 + 11.1 = 25.299 (this is what gets spit out of your calculator and is actually not correct)
The final answer is limited to 1 sig fig past the decimal: 25.3 (rounded up)
For multiplication/division, the number of sig figs in the final calculation will be the same as the number with the fewest number of sig figs in the calculation.
(27.2 x 15.63) ¸ 1.846 = 230.3011918 (again, this is what your calculator tells you) but since your final answer is limited to 3 sig figs, the answer is rounded down to 230.
If you’ve got a mixed problem, like with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, first apply rules for +/- , then use the mult/div rules for sig figs.
That’s what sig figs are all about. Remember these rules:
1. Non-zero digits are always significant.
615 has 3 sig figs
654321 has six sig figs
2. Any zeros between two significant digits are significant.
6002 has four sig figs
409 has three sig figs
9000000001 has 10 sig figs
3. A final zero or trailing zeros in the decimal portion ONLY are significant.
1.230 has 4 sig figs
12300. has 5 sig figs
12300 has 2 sig figs
4. Zeros to the left of the first non-zero digit don’t count, they are only placeholders.
0.000123 has 3 sig figs
0.032 has 2 sig figs
0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000321 has 3 sig figs
when you’re finding the volume of gas, you said you’re adding the numbers 273.15 and 23. you dropped the .15 and said the answer was 296. why did you drop the .15?