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How a number is written to state how well it is known.
Also known as: Sig figs, Precision notation
The way a measurement is written states its precision: 2.50 claims more than 2.5, and a trailing zero after a decimal point is a claim rather than decoration. Scientific notation exists partly because a number like 2500 cannot say how many of its zeros are significant.
Convey a measurement's precision through the digits written, a trailing zero after a decimal point being a claim about accuracy.
Contexts: Laboratory
Cannot express precision unambiguously in ordinary decimal form for a number ending in zeros, which is one reason scientific notation is preferred in reporting.
Contexts: Laboratory
A printed numeral whose digits and trailing zeros are the whole of the notation, sometimes with a raised exponent.