Reference library91 entries

Author: Tommy C. Moran

Practical explanations, worked examples, and reference notes for reporting numbers correctly.

Aug 2026

Are Trailing Zeros Significant? It Depends on the Decimal Point

Trailing zeros are significant only when a decimal point is present. Without a decimal point, they are ambiguous and require scientific notation or an…

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Aug 2026

Engineering

Significant Figures in Engineering Drawings and Tolerances: Precision, Rounding, and Standards

This comprehensive article explores the role of significant figures in engineering drawings and tolerances, detailing rounding rules, standards, common pitfalls, and worked examples to…

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Aug 2026

Significant Figures

Significant Figures in IB Sciences: A Comprehensive Guide for Internal Assessment

Master significant figures for IB Sciences Internal Assessment with our expert guide covering rules, conventions, standards, common pitfalls, and practice problems.

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Aug 2026

Measurement Uncertainty

How to Read Uncertainty From a Ruler, Burette, or Digital Meter

Learn the correct way to interpret measurement uncertainty from analog and digital instruments, including significant figures, rounding, and standard conventions.

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Aug 2026

Rounding Methods

Round Half Away From Zero vs Round Half Toward Zero: Precision and Rounding Conventions

Explore the differences between Round Half Away From Zero and Round Half Toward Zero, including rules, examples, standards, and common pitfalls in precision and…

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Aug 2026

Absolute vs Relative Error

Absolute Error vs Relative Error vs Percent Error: A Comprehensive Guide

Understand the differences between absolute, relative, and percent error, including formulas, when to use each, standards, and common pitfalls. A definitive reference for measurement…

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Aug 2026

Significant Figures

Round 3.14159 to 3 Significant Figures: Step-by-Step Guide

Learn how to round 3.14159 to 3 significant figures with clear rules, examples, and common pitfalls. Understand the importance of significant figures in precision…

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Aug 2026

Rounding vs Significant Figures

Floating Point Errors That Break Sig Fig Calculations

A deep dive into how binary floating-point arithmetic can corrupt significant figure calculations, with standards-based guidance for precision-aware rounding.

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Aug 2026

Python

Rounding to Significant Figures in Python: Precision, Pitfalls, and Best Practices

Learn how to round numbers to a specified number of significant figures in Python, including the pitfalls of binary floating-point, banker's rounding, and standards-based…

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Aug 2026

Percent Error

How to Calculate Percent Error (and Report It Correctly)

Learn the correct formula for percent error, how to handle significant figures and rounding, and avoid common pitfalls when reporting measurement accuracy.

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