A chemical engineer must report the average volume of certain pollutant produced by the plants under her supervision here are the data she has been given

Lincoln 6.824L
Oglala 5.8L
South fork 13.3L
What average volume should the chemical engineer report? Be sure your answer has the correct number of significant digits in L?

1 answer

To find the average volume, we must add up all the given volumes and then divide by the number of plants considered.

Total volume = 6.824L + 5.8L + 13.3L = 25.924L

Since we have three plants, divide the total volume by three:

Average volume = 25.924L / 3 = 8.641L

The correct number of significant digits should match the least precise measurement given, which is 5.8L (2 significant digits). Therefore, the average volume should be reported as 8.6L.