How many sig figs should 4.56 × 1.4 have?

Four significant figures is not correct; the product 4.56 times 1.4 should be reported with two significant figures because the factor with the fewest significant figures has two.

Think of significant figures as the number of digits that actually count when you measure something, and when you multiply or divide, the answer can only be as precise as the least precise measurement. Here you have four point five six which has three significant digits and one point four which has two significant digits, so your final answer can only have two significant digits. You multiply four point five six by one point four to get six point three eight four, and then you round that result to two significant figures, giving six point three. Treat the number of digits that are meaningful like the weakest link that limits the precision of the whole calculation.

A common mistake is counting trailing zeros or decimal places instead of true significant figures, so do not confuse decimal places with sig figs and focus on meaningful digits instead. Another error is rounding intermediate results too early, which can give a slightly wrong final number, so keep extra digits during calculation and only round the final answer to the correct number of significant figures. A quick tip is to always find how many significant figures each measured value has before multiplying or dividing and use the smallest of those counts to round your final result.

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How many sig figs for 4.56 × 1.4?

1. Count meaningful digits in measurements
2. Use least precise value for products
3. 4.56 has 3 significant figures
4. 1.4 has 2 significant figures
5. Multiply before rounding final answer
6. Round final result to 2 sig figs

Common mistakes with sig figs

1. Counting trailing zeros instead of sig figs
2. Confusing decimal places with sig figs
3. Rounding intermediate results too early

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