The sensitivity of a measuring instrument is the value of the smallest quantity that can be read or estimated with it. What is the smallest part of a centimeter that can be read with the following?

(a) a meterstick with markings at each millimeter
I tried
.01 mm
.05 mm
.1 mm
.01cm

all wrong..
(b) a digital caliper with a four-digit display
I tried
.0001 in
.01 mm
.01 in
all wrong as well

I just had the same question, and the 1st one is .05 cm, and the second is .0005 cm.

For a I would think it could be estimated to the nearest 0.5 mm which is 0.05 cm.

For b, the problem doesn't say what the digits mean; i.e., four-digit display of what length? If it is 1234 then it can be read to 1 in the last place, whatever that last place is.

the caliper is .0005 cm

I know the first one can be .5mm

To determine the smallest part of a centimeter that can be read with a meterstick, we need to look at the smallest unit of measurement marked on the meterstick. In this case, the smallest unit is 1 millimeter (mm). Therefore, the smallest part of a centimeter that can be read with a meterstick is 0.1 mm (since there are 10 mm in 1 centimeter).

For example, if the meterstick were to measure a length of 2 centimeters and you wanted to know the precise measurement within those 2 centimeters, you could determine it by looking at the markings on the meterstick at the millimeter level. The smallest part you would be able to read is 0.1 mm.

Now, let's move on to the digital caliper with a four-digit display. The four-digit display implies that the measurement can be read up to four decimal places. In this case, the caliper can measure in millimeters (mm) and inches (in).

To determine the smallest part of a centimeter that can be read with a digital caliper, you need to convert centimeters to millimeters since the caliper measures in millimeters.

1 centimeter = 10 millimeters

Therefore, the smallest part of a centimeter that can be read with a digital caliper is 0.01 mm (since there are 100 parts of 0.01 mm in 1 centimeter).

For example, if the digital caliper were to measure a length of 2 centimeters, the smallest part you would be able to read is 0.01 mm.

When attempting to answer the question, it is important to pay attention to the units used on the measuring instrument and understand their conversions to determine the correct smallest part that can be read.