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Re: Significant figures - a Modest Proposal



Has anyone got the impression I've had for years that teaching the
topic of significant figures is counterproductive?

snip

.... Let's get rid of this traditional
dinosaur and see if it helps students learn.

Leigh Palmer


I agree. For years I have ignored teaching about significant figures
because I find them irrelevant at the high school level. Most results in
homework and in the lab do not exceed three or four significant figures and
two is often too imprecise. Instead, I require my students to adhere to the
Rule of Three: express all results to three sig fig's (sometimes four).
This seems to cover the bases.

Rex

------------------------------------------------
Rex G Snyder rgsnyder@macol.net
St. Paul's School rgsnyder@usa.net
Baltimore, MD
410.821.3031