To round the number 14.587020 to 4 significant digits, follow these steps:
1. Identify the first four significant digits of the number. The first four significant digits in the number 14.587020 are 1, 4, 5, and 8.
2. Look at the digit immediately following these four significant digits to determine whether to round up or down. The next digit, after 1, 4, 5, and 8, is 7.
3. Apply the rounding rule:
- If the next digit (the 5th digit in this case, which is 7) is 5 or greater, round the last of the four significant digits up by one.
- If the next digit is less than 5, leave the last of the four significant digits as it is.
Since the next digit is 7, which is greater than 5, we will round the last of the four significant digits (8) up by one.
4. After rounding, the number becomes 14.587.
Thus, the correct answer is:
c. 14.587
