A thermometer scale is calibrated (marked off) in a degree Celsius from 1 oC to 50 oC. Determine
how many significant figures should be used to express the outdoor temperature if the temperature is
more than 1 oC and less than 10 oC:
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4
You can read it to 1 degree and estimate the second place. So 2 is the correct answer.
To determine the number of significant figures, we need to consider the given range of temperatures.
The thermometer scale is calibrated from 1 oC to 50 oC. Since the temperature is more than 1 oC and less than 10 oC, we can conclude that the temperature falls within the range 1 oC to 9 oC.
In this case, the temperature can be expressed with two significant figures, considering that only the digits 1 to 9 are significant.
Therefore, the correct answer is (B) 2.
To determine the number of significant figures when expressing the outdoor temperature between 1 oC and 10 oC, we need to consider the accuracy of the given range of the thermometer scale.
In this case, the scale is calibrated from 1 oC to 50 oC. We know that the temperature is more than 1 oC and less than 10 oC. This means that the range of possible temperatures is from 1 oC to just below 10 oC.
Since the scale is marked off in whole degrees, we can assume that the divisions on the scale represent the most accurate measurements. Therefore, we can consider these divisions, which are whole numbers, as significant figures.
In the given range, the only significant figure we have is the ones place. This is because the temperatures shown on the scale are whole numbers without any decimal places.
So, to express the outdoor temperature between 1 oC and 10 oC with the correct significant figures, we should use 1 significant figure.
Therefore, the correct answer is (A) 1.