Arithmetic with Significant Figures

Perform each of the following arithmetic operations, reporting the answer with the proper number of significant figures a. (23X657) d. 1157.23 - 17.812... 

Summarize the rules for rounding off numbers. Summarize the rules for doing arithmetic with the correct number of significant figures. 

Figurate or polygonal numbers appeared in 15th-century arithmetic books, and were probably known to ancient Chinese but they were of particular interest to ancient Greek mathematicians [2]. To the Pythagoreans (c. 500 BC), numbers were of paramount significance they believed everything could be explained by numbers, and numbers were invested with specific characteristics and "personalities". Among the properties of numbers the Pythagoreans endowed them with "shapes" [2, 3].

The effect of false radiation on the quantitative accuracy obtained with an instrument is shown in Figure 2-5. The range of values of false radiation selected for these calculations includes values commonly found in laboratory instruments. In contrast to the other factors which have been discussed as having an influence on photometric accuracy, this factor of false radiation may be corrected for arithmetically, at least to a significant degree, provided carefully obtained data on false radiation are available. 

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