Question

How many significant figures does 1.3262 + 25.2 have?

(a) 2

(b) 3

(c) 4

(d) 5

Short answer

The correct option is (b).

Step-by-step solution

Step 1. Rule for the addition of two numbers with different significant figures

Significant figures can be defined as the number of the necessary digits to determine a certain quantity.

Given data:

The first number is 1.3262.

The second number is 25.2.

Rule:

At the time of adding or subtracting numbers, the final result should not contain more decimal places than the number having minimum decimal places.

Step 2. Determination of the significant figure in the sum

Here, the number with the fewest decimal places is 25.2.

So, there is only one digit after the decimal point.

Now, $1.3262+25.2=26.5262$.

As there should be only one digit after the decimal point, the significant figure representation of the sum will be 26.5.

Therefore, in 26.5, there are three significant figures.

Hence, there are three significant figures in the sum of $1.3262+25.2$.