a sample that has a mass of about 25 g is weighed on a balance that has a precision od 0.1g. how many significany figures should be reported for this measurment

Answer 1

When reporting a measurement, the number of significant figures should reflect the precision of the measuring instrument. In this case, the balance has a precision of 0.1 g, which means that the last digit reported should be in the tenths place.

Since the mass of the sample is about 25 g, when considering the precision, we report this as 25.0 g to convey that the measurement is precise to the nearest tenth of a gram. This representation consists of three significant figures (the 2, the 5, and the trailing zero after the decimal).

Therefore, the measurement should be reported with three significant figures: 25.0 g.