Are zeros never significant digits?

1 Answer
NickTheTurtle
Apr 1, 2017

No, zeroes can be significant digits

Explanation:

Zeros that are significant digits in the following cases are marked red:

  • #5color(red)(00).color(red)(000)#
  • #321.321color(red)(00)223color(red)(00)#
  • #5color(red)(00)3\.color(red)(0)2#

The only times zeros are not significant are when they are leading zeros (#00223.23#, #0.0002123#), or are trailing zeros and if there is no decimal place (#200#, #238329500#).

Related questions
See all questions in Significant Figures
Impact of this question
2079 views around the world
You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License