[Phys-L] Re: fall cleanup: sig figs

[cparker at CHARTER.NET (cliff)]

> > How can
> > digits that carry no significance (meaning I have no idea what the real
> > value in that place should be) guard anything?

> Accumulating ten times longer we had even more impressive signal to
> noise ratio (in the sum). I was very impressed. But I would not say
> that this was a conversion of nonsignificant digits into significant
> digits. It was nothing else but gaining precision by getting an average
> value from many measurements.

Interesting story.  I like to hear about clever ways of gathering data. I
really do not see how this relates to insignificant digits guarding anything
however.  Am I missing something?