Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 (Tek) 9/28/84 based on 9/17/84; site hammer.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!talcott!panda!genrad!decvax!tektronix!orca!hammer!seifert From: seifert@hammer.UUCP (Snoopy) Newsgroups: net.med Subject: Re: The Perils of Nutrasweet: digits of precision Message-ID: <1430@hammer.UUCP> Date: Wed, 7-Aug-85 13:02:33 EDT Article-I.D.: hammer.1430 Posted: Wed Aug 7 13:02:33 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 11-Aug-85 06:31:53 EDT References: <771@burl.UUCP> <394@petrus.UUCP> <182@steinmetz.UUCP> Reply-To: seifert@hammer.UUCP (Snoopy) Organization: The Daisy Hill Puppy Farm Lines: 13 In article <622@ttidcc.UUCP> hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath) writes: >>Both the quoted numbers (.007% and 10%) have only one significant >>digit. Leading and trailing zeroes are not significant. >> Wrongo. .007 has ONE significant digit, .00700 has THREE. 007 (no leading decimal point) naturally has ten significant digits, since all of James Bond's fingers are significant! :-) Snoopy tektronix!hammer!seifert