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A student has a displacement of 304 m north in 180 s. Following significant figure rules for a division, how many significant figures should the average velocity carry?
AOne significant figure
BTwo significant figures
CThree significant figures
DFour significant figures
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Two significant figures
1. 304 m has three significant figures, but 180 s has only two.
2. In a division, the result may carry no more significant figures than the least precise input.
3. The quotient 304/180 = 1.7 m/s north is therefore reported to two significant figures.
4. Reporting three or four figures would overstate the precision that 180 s actually supports.
_Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 2 "Motion in One Dimension", section 2.2 Speed and Velocity_
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