105600
Significant figures are used in scientific fields to show precision.
Multiplication
When rounding to significant figures you need to first do the operation shown. So, before we round we need to multiply 573.06 * 184.25.
This is an important step whenever you are rounding to significant figures. If you preround, you will be left with the wrong answer.
Significant Figures
Now that we have the answer before rounding, we need to know how to determine significant figures. If there is a decimal point present, then start counting significant figures at the first non-zero digit from the left.
For example:
If the decimal point is not present, then start counting significant figures from the first non-zero digit from the right.
For example:
Rounding
Finally, we can round our answer. Firstly, there are more than 4 digits before the decimal point. This means that our rounded answer will not have a decimal point, so when counting sig figs we will start from the right. Remember, even when rounding, a number should always have the same number of digits before the decimal point, even if they are not all significant.
Since we are rounding to 4 sig figs, we need to look at the 5th digit from the left, which is 8. This means we will round up.
So, write the first 4 digits of the number, but round the last one up. Then, write the remaining digits before the decimal point as 0.
