Significant Figures Calculator

On This Page:

• What are significant figures?

• How to calculate significant figures

• Significant figures rules

• Examples of significant figures

• Calculator operators

What are Significant Figures? 🔢

Significant figures (or sig figs) are the digits in a number that carry meaning and reflect its precision. For example, the number 0045 has two significant figures (4 and 5), because the leading zeros don’t add precision.

Understanding sig figs is important in math, chemistry, and physics, where accuracy matters in measurements and calculations.

How to Calculate Significant Figures ✍️

You can follow these basic rules to identify the number of significant figures in a value:

1. All non-zero digits are significant

   • Example: 456 → 3 sig figs.

2. Zeros between digits are significant

   • Example: 207 → 3 sig figs.

3. Trailing zeros are significant only if there’s a decimal point

   • Example: 45.00 → 4 sig figs.

4. Leading zeros are not significant

   • Example: 0.0045 → 2 sig figs.

👉 If you want to see more detailed rules with solved problems, check our full guide: How to Calculate Sig Figs.

Examples of Significant Figures 📊

• 73 → 2 sig figs

• 0.0056 → 2 sig figs

• 120.0 → 4 sig figs

• 3000 → 1 sig fig (unless written as 3.000 × 10³ → 4 sig figs)

Sig Fig Calculator Operators ➕➖✖️➗

Our calculator supports:

• Addition (+), subtraction (−)

• Multiplication (×), division (÷)

• Exponent (^), parentheses ( )

• Functions like log and ln

Just enter your value, and the calculator will instantly show the correct number of significant figures along with the result.