Chemistry and basic mathematics

In this chapter we will discuss the importance of significant digits in a laboratory setting. Significant digits are those digits that carry meaning contributing to its precision. There are rules, of course,and things we must ask ourselves are the digits nonzero? Are there trailing zeros? Do we round or not round? When is that appropriate?

In order to master the concepts of significant digits, it may be best to try it out using measurements and conversions. These conversions are called Dimensional Analysis. We are able to convert from the metric system to the English system easily. Reporting our answers after the conversion depends on the rules of significant digits and the initial measurement taken.