EXPLANATION
Question: How many significant figures are in the measurement 0.00980 meters?
- a) 2
- b) 3
- c) 4
- d) 5
ANSWER: b) 3
EXPLANATION:
The answer is b) 3.
The number 0.00980 has 3 significant figures. The leading zeros are not significant, but the 9, 8, and 0 are. The 0 is significant because it is between two significant digits.
The other answer choices are incorrect. Option a, 2, is incorrect because it ignores the significant digits 8 and 0. Option c, 4, is incorrect because it includes the leading zeros as significant digits. Option d, 5, is incorrect because it includes the trailing zero as a significant digit.
Therefore, the correct answer is 3.
