Math Snap

STEP 1

Assumptions1. The measured quantity is $5.0 \times10^{-3}$.
. We need to determine the number of significant figures in this quantity.

STEP 2

First, we need to understand what significant figures are. Significant figures in a number are digits that carry meaningful information about its precision. This includes all non-zero numbers, zeros between non-zero numbers, and zeros indicating the decimal places.

STEP 3

In the given quantity, $5.0 \times10^{-3}$, we can ignore the $10^{-3}$ part for now because in scientific notation, the exponent of10 does not count towards the significant figures.

STEP 4

Now, we look at the number $.0$. Here, both the and the0 after the decimal point are significant. The is significant because all non-zero numbers are significant. The0 is significant because it is a zero indicating a decimal place.

Count the number of significant figures in $5.0$.
The number of significant figures in $5.0$ is2.
Thus, the measured quantity $5.0 \times10^{-3}$ has2 significant figures.