To determine how many significant figures the answer to the subtraction problem [tex]\( 8.82 - 3.4 \)[/tex] will have, we need to follow the rules for significant figures in subtraction.
1. Identify the number of decimal places in each number:
- The number [tex]\( 8.82 \)[/tex] has 2 decimal places.
- The number [tex]\( 3.4 \)[/tex] has 1 decimal place.
2. Apply the rule for significant figures in subtraction:
- For the operation of subtraction, the result should have the same number of decimal places as the number with the fewest decimal places among the numbers being subtracted.
3. Determine the number with the fewest decimal places:
- Comparing [tex]\( 8.82 \)[/tex] and [tex]\( 3.4 \)[/tex], the number with the fewest decimal places is [tex]\( 3.4 \)[/tex], which has 1 decimal place.
4. Conclude the number of decimal places in the result:
- According to the rule, the result of the subtraction [tex]\( 8.82 - 3.4 \)[/tex] should be rounded to 1 decimal place.
Therefore, the answer to the subtraction will have 1 decimal place.
