The number of significant figures in 3400 is a)3 b)1 c)4 d)2

Options

A. 3
B. 1
C. 4
D. 2

Answer

To determine the number of significant figures in the number 3400, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify Non-Zero Digits**:
The first step is to identify the non-zero digits in the number. In 3400, the non-zero digit is 3 and 4.

2. **Apply the Rules for Significant Figures**:
- **Rule 1**: Any non-zero digit is significant. Therefore, both 3 and 4 are significant.
- **Rule 2**: Zeros that appear between non-zero digits are significant. This rule does not apply here since there are no zeros between non-zero digits.
- **Rule 3**: Zeros that appear to the left of the first non-zero digit are not significant. This rule does not apply here as there are no leading zeros.
- **Rule 4**: Zeros that appear to the right of a non-zero digit may or may not be significant. In the case of 3400, the two zeros are to the right of the significant digit 4.

3. **Determine the Significance of the Trailing Zeros**:
Since there are no decimal points in the number 3400, the trailing zeros (the two zeros after 4) are not considered significant. Therefore, they do not count as significant figures.

4. **Count the Significant Figures**:
From the analysis above, the significant figures in 3400 are only the digits 3 and 4. Thus, the total number of significant figures is 2.

### Final Answer:
The number of significant figures in 3400 is **2**.