In the Classroom

There Seems To Be Uncertainty about the Use of Significant

Figures in Reporting Uncertainties of Results
Julio F. Caballero
Argentine Consultants in Education, P. O. Box 66321, Houston, TX 77266

Delphia F. Harris
Department of Chemistry and Physics, University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX 77006-4694

Error is inherently associated with any experimental
determination. It is clear that when a numerical result is
reported that the uncertainty should be estimated. A survey
of the literature indicates that chemists consistently provide
estimates of uncertainties for reported results.
There are circumstances under which considerable effort is
required to estimate uncertainties. Some computer programs
that provide linear or curve-fitting routines to determine
values also provide uncertainties associated with the computed
values. Computers, like calculators, fill the available places
with digits unless programmed to round to a certain number of
digits. In whatever way uncertainties are estimated, another
step is required before determining the final form of the
reported result. The relative magnitude of the uncertainty
compared with the result should dictate the number of sig-
nificant figures with which the result should be reported. In
order to provide as much information as possible, the last
digit of the result is assumed to contain error and may be
largely uncertain (1, 2). The next to the last digit may con-
Table 1. Examples of Inappropriate and Appropriate
Rounding
Uncer--
Published Value Ref Appropriate Rounding
taintya
771 ± 135 3 (7.7 ± 1.4) × 102
65.9 ± 10.1 3 (6.6 ± 1.0) × 10 1
e᎑ (646 ± 69) / T 4 e᎑(650 ± 70)/ T
1.79 ± 0.78 5 1.8 ± 0.8
e(8450 ± 850)/ T 6 e (8400 ± 800)/ T b
(1.4488 ± 0.0290) × 10 ᎑46 7 (1.449 ± 0.029) × 10᎑46
᎑19.9998 SE 0.100842 8 ᎑20.00 SE 0.10
aThiscolumn shows that each uncertainty has a value between 3
and 30, whatever the place value.
bThis example illustrates laboratory rounding. When rounding involves
5 exactly, round to the even number.
tain some uncertainty. Common guidelines taught to under-
graduates (1, 2) indicate that uncertainty should be reported
with one or two significant figures with a value between 3
and 30 whatever the place value.
Reports of uncertainties that exceed 30 appear regularly
in the literature. Table 1 illustrates just a few examples that
were obtained by a very cursory review of recent issues of
two journals. A number of them include uncertainties with
three or more significant figures. These examples are taken
from both research and chemical education articles, and are
the reason for this note. Scientists who take such care in
designing and carrying out complex experiments need to take
more care in deciding on the appropriate form for reporting
their results. Faculty who teach students not to write down
all the digits that their calculator generates should not report
in a published article all the digits that a computer fit gener-
ates. Referees and reviewers of manuscripts also need to give
careful attention to how results and their uncertainties are
reported.
Let’s practice what we teach.
Literature Cited
1. Shoemaker, D. P.; Garland, C. W.; Nibler, J. W. Experiments in
Physical Chemistry, 4th ed.; McGraw-Hill: New York, 1981; p 52.
2. Skoog, D. A.; West, D. M.; Holler, F. J. Fundamentals of Analytical
14 Chemistry, 6th ed.; Sauders: New York, 1992; pp 31, 32.
10 3. Wallington, T. J.; Ball, J. C. J. Phys. Chem. 1995, 99, 3201.
4. Wu, F.; Carr, R. W. J. Phys. Chem. 1995, 99, 3128.
7
5. Horowitz, A.; Crowley, J. N.; Moortgat, G. K. J. Phys. Chem.
8 1994, 98, 11924.
8 6. As cited in ref 5, DeMore, W. B.; Sander, S. P.; Golden, D. M.;
Hampson, R. F.; Kurylo, M. J.; Howard, C. J.; Ravishankara, A.
29 R.; Kolb, C. E.; Molina, M. J. JPL Publication 92-20; Jet Pro-
10 pulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena,
CA, 1992.
7. Mina-Camilde, N.; Manzanares, I. C.; Caballero, J. F. J. Chem.
Educ. 1996, 73, 804.
8. David, C. W. J. Chem. Educ. 1996, 73, 46.

996 Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 75 No. 8 August 1998 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu