Example 1.6: Calculation with Significant Figures
One common bathtub is
134.4 cm long,
59.20 cm wide, and
25.4 cm deep. Assume that the tub is rectangular and calculate its approximate volume in liters.
Solution
,
\(V = \mathrm{length} \cdot \mathrm{width} \cdot \mathrm{depth}\)
\(\mathrm{width}_{\mathrm{tub}}\) \(= 59.20\ \mathrm{cm}\)
\(\mathrm{depth}_{\mathrm{tub}}\) \(= 25.4\ \mathrm{cm}\)
\(V_{\mathrm{tub}}\) \(= \mathrm{length}_{\mathrm{tub}} \cdot \mathrm{width}_{\mathrm{tub}} \cdot \mathrm{depth}_{\mathrm{tub}}\)
\(\ \ \ =134.4\ \mathrm{cm} \cdot 59.20\ \mathrm{cm} \cdot 25.4\ \mathrm{cm}\)
\(\ \ \ =7956.5\ \mathrm{cm}^{2} \cdot 25.4\ \mathrm{cm}\)
\(\ \ \ =2.021\times 10^{5}\ \mathrm{cm}^{3}\)