Questions: When reporting the answer to a mathematical calculation involving addition or subtraction, how does one determine the number of significant digits to report in the answer?
(A)
The answer is correctly reported with the same number of decimal places as the value in the calculation with the fewest number of decimal places.
(B)
The answer is correctly reported with the same number of significant digits as the value in the calculation with the fewest number of significant digits.
(C)
The answer is correctly reported with the same number of decimal places as the value in the calculation with the largest number of decimal places.
(D)
The answer is correctly reported with the same number of significant digits as the value in the calculation with the largest number of significant digits.
Transcript text: When reporting the answer to a mathematical calculation involving addition or subtraction, how does one determine the number of significant digits to report in the answer?
(A)
The answer is correctly reported with the same number of decimal places as the value in the calculation with the fewest number of decimal places.
(B)
The answer is correctly reported with the same number of significant digits as the value in the calculation with the fewest number of significant digits.
(C)
The answer is correctly reported with the same number of decimal places as the value in the calculation with the largest number of decimal places.
(D)
The answer is correctly reported with the same number of significant digits as the value in the calculation with the largest number of significant digits.
Solution
Solution Steps
To determine the number of significant digits to report in the answer for a mathematical calculation involving addition or subtraction, one should look at the number of decimal places in the values being added or subtracted. The answer should be reported with the same number of decimal places as the value with the fewest number of decimal places.
Step 1: Understanding the Problem
When performing addition or subtraction, the number of significant digits in the result is determined by the number of decimal places in the values being added or subtracted. Specifically, the result should have the same number of decimal places as the value with the fewest number of decimal places.
Step 2: Analyzing the Options
Let's analyze each option to determine which one correctly describes the rule for reporting significant digits in addition or subtraction:
Option A: The answer is correctly reported with the same number of decimal places as the value in the calculation with the fewest number of decimal places.
Option B: The answer is correctly reported with the same number of significant digits as the value in the calculation with the fewest number of significant digits.
Option C: The answer is correctly reported with the same number of decimal places as the value in the calculation with the largest number of decimal places.
Option D: The answer is correctly reported with the same number of significant digits as the value in the calculation with the largest number of significant digits.
Step 3: Identifying the Correct Option
The correct rule for addition and subtraction is that the result should have the same number of decimal places as the value with the fewest number of decimal places. This matches Option A.
Final Answer
The answer is \(\boxed{\text{A}}\): The answer is correctly reported with the same number of decimal places as the value in the calculation with the fewest number of decimal places.