To solve the question regarding the reduction of significant figures in mathematical operations, we need to analyze each operation: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
### Step-by-step Solution:
1. **Understanding Significant Figures**:
- Significant figures are the digits in a number that contribute to its precision. This includes all non-zero digits, any zeros between significant digits, and trailing zeros in the decimal part.
2. **Addition**:
- When adding two numbers, the result should be expressed with the same number of decimal places as the number with the least decimal places. For example, if we add 2.03 (two decimal places) and 4.06 (two decimal places), the result is 6.09, which also has two decimal places. Thus, significant figures do not reduce in addition.
3. **Subtraction**:
- Similar to addition, when subtracting, the result should also be expressed with the same number of decimal places as the number with the least decimal places. For instance, if we subtract 4.06 (two decimal places) and 4.03 (two decimal places), we get 0.03, which has only one significant figure. Therefore, significant figures can reduce in subtraction.
4. **Multiplication**:
- In multiplication, the number of significant figures in the result is determined by the number with the least significant figures. For example, multiplying 2.0 (two significant figures) by 3.00 (three significant figures) gives 6.0, which has two significant figures. Thus, significant figures can reduce in multiplication.
5. **Division**:
- Similar to multiplication, in division, the result should have the same number of significant figures as the number with the least significant figures. For example, dividing 6.0 (two significant figures) by 2.00 (three significant figures) gives 3.0, which has two significant figures. Hence, significant figures can also reduce in division.
### Conclusion:
From the analysis, we conclude that significant figures can reduce in subtraction, multiplication, and division. However, they do not reduce in addition.
### Final Answer:
The number of significant figures can reduce in **subtraction**, **multiplication**, and **division**.