Small practice
brighter futures.
Checking sign-in status
Menu

Significant figures practice

Identify significant digits worksheets

Count significant digits in whole numbers, decimals and scientific notation. Select any combination, generate 20 questions and print a separate answer key.

Ready-made English PDF · fixed settings

Worksheet · LetterWorksheet · A4
Customize worksheet ↓
With answer key

Customization below makes a separate PDF.

First page of the identify significant digits worksheets printable worksheetOpen full-size sample (first page)

Fixed English ready-made files. Custom settings below apply only to the configured PDF.

Ready to print

Start with a ready-made worksheet

Write the number of significant digits for each value. On these worksheets, trailing zeroes in a whole number without a written decimal mark do not count.

Download the practice pages alone, or include a separate answer key or teacher model. Longer activities may use more than one page.

US Letter

Student worksheetWorksheet with answers

A4

Student worksheetWorksheet with answers
Customize this worksheet

Paper sizes and printing help · More significant figures activities

The written zeroes matter

These worksheets use a stated convention: trailing zeroes in a whole number without a written decimal mark are not significant. Thus 2400 has two significant digits, while 2.400 × 10³ explicitly has four.

Choose whole numbers, decimals, scientific notation or a combination. Every selected form appears in the 20-question worksheet.

The preview and PDF use the same questions. Include answers to append a separate key, or download only the student pages.

Learning objective

What this activity builds

Count significant digits from the written representation without confusing place-holding zeroes with measured precision.

Worked example

How many significant digits are in 0.006040?

Four.

The leading zeroes locate the decimal point. The digits 6, 0, 4 and the final 0 record the reported precision, so all four count.

Teaching notes

Make the practice count

  • Start counting at the first nonzero digit.
  • Keep interior zeroes between significant digits.
  • Count written trailing decimal zeroes.
  • In scientific notation, count the mantissa digits and ignore the power of ten.

Make it yours

Customize the practice

Choose your options, update the preview, then download the exact same pages.

Choose the problem kinds and rounding rule. Every worksheet contains 20 balanced, reproducible tasks.

Worksheet settings

Number forms
Page note and reproducible seed

The same settings and seed make the same questions. Shared links include your page note; leave personal information out. Notes use the selected language’s supported characters; English accepts basic Latin text.

Configured PDF · Identify Significant Digits · US Letter

Preview ready. Download includes these exact pages.

1 student page
Enlarged pages scroll. PDF size stays the same.
Math SheetNameScore/ 20TeacherDateIdentify Significant DigitsWrite the number of significant digits in each measured value.Whole-number trailing zeroes without a decimal mark do not count on this sheet. Scientific notation makes intended precision explicit.1.10102.1.20 × 10-63.0.00404.12005.10.006.70047.0.03058.0.0000029.0.23510.3.57011.4.005 × 10912.9.2129313.890714.504015.9.09 × 10016.7.94 × 10-817.570518.130719.3 × 10520.3.8 × 10-1math-sheet.comPage 1 / 1

A useful next step

Related activities

First page preview: Significant figures rules handout

Significant figures

Significant figures rules handout

Print an original significant figures reference with zero rules, scientific notation, calculation rules and rounding examples. Choose Letter or A4 and a printed language.

Preview and download