Question

Can someone tell me how to identify the number of significant figures?

I solved a molarity word problem and I got the answer 1.138 moles. I need to find the number of significant figures for this number. If you could use 1.138 as an example, that'd be great.

Answer 1

Answer:

Non-zero digits are always significant.

Any zeros between two significant digits are significant.

A final zero or trailing zeros in the decimal portion ONLY are significant. If a number ends in zeros to the right of the decimal point, those zeros are significant.

Explanation:

1.138 has 4 significant figures, which are 1, 1, 3 and 8. The numbers after the decimal point are decimals and are significant figures.