The digits in a number that carry meaningful information about its precision, including all non-zero digits and zeros that are between non-zero digits or after a decimal point in a measured value.
Combines 'significant' from Latin 'significare' (to make known or indicate) with 'figures' (digits). The concept developed in the 19th and 20th centuries as scientific measurement became more precise and the need to communicate measurement uncertainty became crucial.
Significant figures are mathematics' way of being honest about uncertainty - they tell us not just what we measured, but how confident we are in that measurement! This concept bridges pure mathematics and the real world, where every measurement has limits and understanding those limits is crucial for everything from engineering safety to scientific discovery.
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