Different significant figures everywhere [physics]

[freerun]

Ive been solving physics past papers, and the one thing that bothers me is significant figures. Answers are given to two or 3 significant figures in marking scheme. How am I supposed to know?

 

[nipoonnipoonnip]

Ive been solving physics past papers, and the one thing that bothers me is significant figures. Answers are given to two or 3 significant figures in marking scheme. How am I supposed to know?

For long answer questions it does not make a difference. For for prac it needs to be to the least amount of sf of the quantities given. But never quote to 1 sf.

 

[Maduro]

Ive been solving physics past papers, and the one thing that bothers me is significant figures. Answers are given to two or 3 significant figures in marking scheme. How am I supposed to know?

The answer is to have significance equal to the least number of significant figures used in calculation or one better.

e.g if the calculation goes like this :
(1.345 + 0.25) / 1.0
then the answer would be either 1.6 or 1.59 .
explanation : As the least significant figures used is 2 (i.e 1.0) ,so you can either quote the answer to either 2 s.f or 3 s.f .

This applies everywhere , so you can follow this blindly throughout your Alevels ( at least in Physics)

 

[freerun]

The answer is to have significance equal to the least number of significant figures used in calculation or one better.

e.g if the calculation goes like this :
(1.345 + 0.25) / 1.0
then the answer would be either 1.6 or 1.59 .
explanation : As the least significant figures used is 2 (i.e 1.0) ,so you can either quote the answer to either 2 s.f or 3 s.f .

This applies everywhere , so you can follow this blindly throughout your Alevels ( at least in Physics)

I follow this theory, but the marking scheme given Answers to irrelevant significant figures.