Significant Figures

(noun)

The digits that carry meaning in a number and contribute to its precision.

Related Terms

Examples of Significant Figures in the following topics:

  • Significant Figures

    • For example, 91 has two significant figures (9 and 1), while 123.45 has five significant figures (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5).
    • The number 0 has one significant figure.
    • The last significant figure of a number may be underlined; for example, "2000" has two significant figures.
    • 1.423 x 4.2 = 6.0 since 1.423 has 4 significant figures and 4.2 only has two significant figures, the final answer must also have 2 significant figures.
    • Don't be confused by significant figures.

  • Factors Affecting Power

    • There is a trade-off between the significance level and power: the more stringent (lower) the significance level, the lower the power.
    • A one-tailed test, in effect, raises the significance level.
    • Figure 1.
    • Figure 2.
    • Figure 3.

  • Tests Supplementing ANOVA

    • As will be seen, significant main effects in multi-factor designs can be followed up in the same way as significant effects in one-way designs.
    • Figure 1 shows an interaction plot from data presented in the section on Multi-Factor ANOVA.
    • The results shown in Figure 2 are very much in line with the hypothesis.
    • It turned out that the effect of Treatment was significant for the Addicted group (p = 0.02) but not significant for the Non-Addicted group (p = 0.09).
    • Figure 3 shows the results of an imaginary experiment on diet and weight loss.

  • APA: Tables and Figures

    • If your table includes any abbreviations that need defining, or statistics whose significance levels need noting, immediately below the table, write the word "Note" in italics, followed by a colon, and then provide the needed explanation.
    • Figure 1.
    • If your figure includes any abbreviations that need defining, or statistics whose significance levels need noting, include this information in the figure caption.
    • Figure 1. 
    • The title of the figure should not appear in the figure itself—it should appear only in the caption beneath the figure.

  • Testing the Significance of the Correlation Coefficient

    • If the p-value is less than the significance level (α = 0.05):
    • If the p-value is NOT less than the significance level (α = 0.05)
    • The p-value, 0.026, is less than the significance level of α = 0.05
    • The critical value is -0.456. − 0.567 <− 0.456 so r is significant.
    • The critical value is 0.666. 0.708 > 0.666 so r is significant.

  • Painting of the New Kingdom

    • However, significant changes to the human form emerged during the Amarna Period.
    • A significant change, however, occurred during the Amarna Period under the pharaoh Akhenaten (r. 1351–1334 BCE), when the body assumed a less idealized form.
    • As in paintings of previous eras, both figures are the same height.
    • Following the conventions of the Amarna Period, the figures in this painting have protruding bellies, overlap one another, and appear more relaxed than figures in previous eras.
    • Although the depicted figures are girls, their skin tone is the same as their male counterparts.

  • Example Calculations

    • Figure 2.
    • Figure 1.
    • Figure 3.
    • Figure 4.
    • The test is significant if the sample mean is 78.29 or higher.

  • Dogon Sculpture

    • The past century has seen significant changes in the social organization, material culture and beliefs of the Dogon, partly because Dogon country is one of Mali's major tourist attractions.
    • Dogon sculptures are typically characterized by an elongation of form and a mix of geometric and figurative images.
    • Themes found throughout Dogon sculpture consist of figures with raised arms, superimposed bearded figures, horsemen, stools with caryatids, women with children, figures covering their faces, women grinding pearl millet, women bearing vessels on their heads, donkeys bearing cups, musicians, dogs, quadruped-shaped troughs or benches, figures bending from the waist, mirror-images, apron-wearing figures, and standing figures.
    • Carved animal figures, such as dogs and ostriches, are placed on village foundation altars to commemorate sacrificed animals, while granary doors, stools, and house posts are also adorned with figures and symbols.
    • Dogon sculptures are typically characterized by an elongation of form and a combination of geometric and figurative images.

  • Lab: Hypothesis Testing for Two Means and Two Proportions

    • Shade the actual level of significance.
    • Shade the actual level of significance.
    • Shade the actual level of significance.
    • Shade the actual level of significance.

  • APA: Reporting Statistics

    • You should never mention a statistic in the text of your paper that is already evident in a table or figure, and vice versa.
    • Also, include the important values in parentheses, and the test information and significance at the end of the sentence.
    • This difference was significant; a t-test found a t-score of 2.34, and the p-value was 0.01.
    • This figure shows the proper way to report statistics in an APA-style paper.