George Hammond writes:

On Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:30:01 +0000 (UTC),
(Michael Moroney) wrote:

George Hammond writes:

On Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:15:38 +0000 (UTC),
(Michael Moroney) wrote:

If a physicist making measurements writes down the following figures as
lab measurements, how many significant figures are in each number, and
why?

120
[GH] 2 significant figures
120.
[GH] 2 significant figures

If you were familiar with conventions with significant figures, you'd know
that if the zero in the units portion is significant (and there is no
fractional portion), you add a decimal point, otherwise you don't.

With typical sloppy Usenet typing I though that was a
period, not a decimal point. That isn't conventional
notation.

Making up excuses for getting it wrong, I see. You weren't clued off by
my listing the number 120 twice, one with and without the decimal point.
That should have been a dead giveaway, but you still got it wrong.

469.230
[GH] 5 significant figures

6. There is no reason to write the zero unless it was significant. If
that number was measured to 5 sig figs, it should be written as 469.23 .

I mentioned that it would be 6 is in a post yesterday to
Doug, before you did, and said it would be 6 IF the final
zero was actually a measurement.

More excuses, I see. The notation I gave is standard.

More commonly people add unnecessary zero's to figures,
which are meaningless. It is only in high quality
scientific publications that addional zero's would be
considered "significant".

I explicitly stated a physicist was writing these down.

Anyway, your grade of F stands. You haven't even tried to explain your
failure of showing how 12=13 to three significant figures. Now write the
word "VOID" in indelible marker on any and all diplomas in your
possession, and mail them to the issuer for destruction. (OK, you can
keep the kindergarten graduation diploma, assuming you didn't cheat on the
'I no longer pee my pants' test)

this isn't an amateur discussion.

OK so you finally admit that your SPOG crap doesn't belong in sci.physics
and sci.physics should be for the science of physics only. Bye! Don't
come back now!