Question 1.49

Question

What is an exact number? How are exact numbers treated differently from other numbers in a calculation?

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Answer

The numbers which are not associated with any uncertainty and have an infinite number of significant numbers are known as exact numbers. As exact numbers do not contribute to any uncertainty in the calculation, these are treated differently in the calculations.

1Exact numbers

Few numbers are known with complete certainty, which means these are not associated with any uncertainty. So these are known as exact numbers. Exact numbers occur in definitions, counting, and simple fractions. Exact numbers are integers like one dozen has 12 objects, and the English alphabet contains 26 letters.

2Exact numbers are treated differently

Exact numbers have an infinite number of significant figures. Exact numbers cannot be simplified further, and these can only be represented in one way only.

Exact numbers do not contribute to uncertainty in a calculation. On the other hand, inexact or counted numbers contain inherent uncertainty. So exact numbers are treated differently in the calculation.

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