Question

Perform the following calculations and give your answer with the correct number of significant figures:
2.995/0.16685 =

Answer 1

When multiplying numbers, the term with the least significant digits gives how many significant digits will be in the answer. 2.995 has the least with 4 "sig figs", so the answer will have 4 significant digits as well:

2.995/0.16685 = 17.9502547198
                           ↑↑  ↑↑
                        4 sig figs

So the answer is 17.95.