In a measurement, a choice of change of different units

Options

A. does not change the number of significant figures
B. increase the number of significant figures
C. decrease the number of significant figures
D. may increase or may decrease the number of significant figures

Answer

To solve the problem of converting a measurement from SI units to CGS units, let's follow these steps:

### Step 1: Identify the given measurement
The given measurement is 3.8 Newtons (N).

### Step 2: Understand the conversion factor
1 Newton (N) is defined as 1 kg·m/s² in SI units. To convert Newtons to CGS units, we need to convert kilograms to grams and meters to centimeters.
- 1 kg = 1000 grams (g)
- 1 m = 100 centimeters (cm)

### Step 3: Convert Newtons to dynes
1 Newton can be converted to dynes using the following relation:
\[ 1 \text{ N} = 10^5 \text{ dynes} \]
Thus, to convert 3.8 N to dynes, we multiply by \(10^5\).

### Step 4: Perform the calculation
Now, we can perform the calculation:
\[ 3.8 \text{ N} = 3.8 \times 10^5 \text{ dynes} \]

### Step 5: Determine significant figures
In the original measurement of 3.8 N, there are 2 significant figures (the digits 3 and 8). When we converted to dynes, we kept the same number of significant figures, which means our final answer should also have 2 significant figures.

### Final Answer
Thus, the measurement of 3.8 N in CGS units is:
\[ 3.8 \times 10^5 \text{ dynes} \]