This deep dive covers Introduction to Significant Figures (Higher Tier) within Place Value & Ordering for GCSE Mathematics. Revise Place Value & Ordering in Number for GCSE Mathematics with 13 exam-style questions and 22 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 11 of 13 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Introduction to Significant Figures (Higher Tier)
Significant figures tell us about the precision of a measurement. This is an introduction - we'll cover it properly in the rounding topic.
What counts as significant?
- Non-zero digits: Always significant (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- Zeros between non-zero digits: Always significant (101 has 3 sf)
- Leading zeros: NOT significant (0.05 has 1 sf, the 5)
- Trailing zeros after decimal point: Significant (2.50 has 3 sf)
Examples:
- 123 has 3 significant figures
- 1.05 has 3 significant figures (the zero counts)
- 0.0067 has 2 significant figures (6 and 7)
- 4500 could have 2, 3, or 4 sf (depends on context)
This connects to scientific notation (standard form) which we'll study later.
Practice questions for Place Value & Ordering
What is the value of the digit 7 in the number 47,362?
Write these numbers in order from smallest to largest: -3.2, 0.8, -1.5, -3.25, 0