SIGNIFICANT FIGURE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any digit of a number that is known with certainty; any digit of a number beginning with the leftmost non-zero digit and ending with the rightmost non-zero digit (or a zero considered to be the exact value)

Example:

he calculated the answer to four significant figures

Synonyms:

significant digit; significant figure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Hypernyms ("significant figure" is a kind of...):

digit; figure (one of the elements that collectively form a system of numeration)

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