Sig Fig Calculator

How to Count Significant Figures

Significant figures, also called sig figs, are the digits in a number that communicate its precision.

• All non-zero digits are significant.
• Zeros between non-zero digits are significant.
• Leading zeros are not significant.
• Trailing zeros after a decimal point are significant.
• Trailing zeros in whole numbers can be ambiguous.

Example

0.00450 has 3 significant figures. The leading zeros are not significant, while 4, 5, and the final zero are significant.

Scientific Notation

Scientific notation makes precision easier to see. For example, 3.50 × 10⁴ has 3 significant figures because the coefficient 3.50 contains three significant digits.