How many significant figures does 120 have?
2 significant figures
The digits that count: 12
Written this way it is ambiguous. 120 could equally be read as 3 significant figures — the notation gives no way to tell. Counting the trailing zeros as not significant is the usual convention, but it is a convention, not a rule. Scientific notation removes the doubt.
Why
- →Every non-zero digit is significant.
- →Trailing zeros in a whole number with no decimal point are ambiguous. They are not counted here, which is the usual convention.
120 rounded
| Significant figures | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | 100 |