What is the sum of 5.228 kg and 1.02 kg ? Express the result to the appropriate significant figures .

Answer

To solve the question of finding the sum of 5.228 kg and 1.02 kg while expressing the result to the appropriate significant figures, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Numbers**: We have two numbers to add:
- First number: 5.228 kg
- Second number: 1.02 kg

2. **Determine Significant Figures**:
- For 5.228 kg: This number has **4 significant figures** (5, 2, 2, 8).
- For 1.02 kg: This number has **3 significant figures** (1, 0, 2).

3. **Perform the Addition**:
- Add the two numbers:
\[ 5.228 + 1.020 = 6.248 \text{ kg} \]

4. **Determine the Appropriate Significant Figures for the Result**:
- The number with the least significant figures is 1.02 kg (which has 3 significant figures).
- Therefore, we need to round our result (6.248 kg) to **3 significant figures**.

5. **Rounding the Result**:
- The result 6.248 rounded to 3 significant figures:
- The first three digits are 6, 2, and 4. The next digit is 8, which is greater than 5, so we round up the last significant figure (4) to 5.
- Thus, 6.248 kg becomes **6.25 kg** when rounded to 3 significant figures.

6. **Final Answer**:
- The sum of 5.228 kg and 1.02 kg, expressed to the appropriate significant figures, is **6.25 kg**.