Question

Why is it incorrect to think that the more digits you include in your answer, the more accurate it is?

Short answer

Adding more digits to an answer does not increase its accuracy.

Step-by-step solution

Step 1. Disadvantage of adding more digits in the answer

Including too many digits in the answer does not increase its accuracy. The accuracy of the answer only depends on the physical measurement on which it is based.

Adding many digits requires greater accuracy, which may not be possible with the given measurements.

Step 2. Examples of problems with more digits in the answer

Consider a rectangle of length 1.25 cm and breadth 1.1 cm. The area of this rectangle is 1.375 cm².

The scale on which the area is measured is accurate only up to 0.1 cm². Therefore, in this case, the answer will be 1.4 cm², and adding more digits will not make it more accurate.