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Originally Posted by nerdcool64
"23.15 * 5.9 = 140 in sig figs"
That is why I hate sig figs. They are only cause for error in your answer. I have yet to be told by my school's teaching staff what purpose they have or how they are beneficial to our society.
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It shows how accurate you measure to. When ever making a measurement you are suppose to only make the measurements you can. You don't measure to micrograms. You measure to milligrams at best. But it doesn't mean that when you measure to 1 milligram you measure to 1.000000000000000 or exactly one to the infinite significant digits. It is impossible. You may measure to 1.0 and leave off .04756345694351 of it. 1.05 of it is your sig fig. The last digit is understood to be uncertain. If When you make multiplications and additions you get decimals places you shouldn't have or are not accurate to what measurements you took. Sig figs get rid of these innacurracies. It give you the answer for the accurateness of measurement you took.
Oh yeah, and the 3 is understood to be 3.0000000 (infinite zeroes) so there is 2 sig figs on the last one.