[EricH]

Originally Posted by Ether

The whole concept using "significant figures" this way, although still taught in high schools, is deeply flawed.

It's also at least touched on at the college level. I'm curious why you say it's flawed--besides the fact it confused me every time I tried to use it! (I typically hold about a 2-3 decimal digit precision in the final answer, but I'll often go to 4-5 decimal digits or more during calculations.)