Converting!...Significant Figures! Pfft! Didn’t I convert enough by ending my summer break and showing up at school this week?

Ok, ok, I get it, doing tedious math problems and boring conversions isn’t the most exciting way to begin a course. I don’t blame you...in fact, I don’t really like teaching it either. The only thing worse is trying to learn it at the same time you are trying to learn kinematics or wave motion. This is the reason I begin with conversions and significant figures. Remember, this is physics, numbers are supposed to actually represent something. We don’t make up irrelevant, fictitious numbers that you might experience in a math textbook. Being a few centimetres off may not make a difference to you on paper but I can guarantee it will make a difference to the stuntman jumping from one rooftop to another. Accuracy is important, it makes things predictable, thus we are able to plan more effectively.

If I gave you a 30 minute detention after school, wouldn’t you want to know whether it was “30 minutes, give or take a second”, “30 minutes, give or take a minute”, or “30 minutes, give or take 10 minutes”?

if “Uncertainties” is a topic that you are feeling uncertain about, take some time and look at other resources. If you visit the online storage site you will find some extra practice or you can visit this site: http://www.chem.sc.edu/faculty/morgan/resources/sigfigs/. Here you will find the topics broken down into a stepwise process. Also, take a look through your textbook, it’s more than just a paperweight.

Good luck!