Certainly! Let's explore how to find the smallest whole number that, when rounded to two significant figures, results in 120.
### Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Understanding Significant Figures:
- Two significant figures mean that only the first two non-zero digits are kept, and the remaining digits are adjusted according to rounding rules.
2. Target Number for Rounding:
- We want a number that rounds to 120 when we consider only two significant figures.
3. Identifying the Range:
- Let's note down the range where the number when rounded results in 120.
- For rounding to occur at 120, the numbers should be from 115 up to 125.
4. Exploring Boundary Numbers:
- If a number is 115 or more, but less than 125, it will round to 120 when rounded to 2 significant figures.
5. Checking Specific Values:
- The smallest number in this range is 115 because any whole number lower than this, such as 114, would round to 110, not 120.
Therefore, the smallest whole number that rounds to 120 when considering two significant figures is 115.
So the answer is:
- The smallest whole number that gives an answer of 120 when rounded to 2 significant figures is 115.
