How many significant figures are present in the number 0.001?

• A. 3
• B. 1
• C. 0
• D. 1

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of significant figures: Significant figures are the digits in a number that carry meaningful information about its precision. This includes all nonzero digits, any zeros between significant digits, and trailing zeros in the decimal portion.
2. Identify the digits in the number 0.001: The number has three zeros before the digit 1.
3. Determine which digits are significant: Leading zeros (zeros before the first nonzero digit) are not significant; they only indicate the position of the decimal point.
4. Since the only nonzero digit is '1' and the zeros before it are leading zeros, only the digit '1' is significant.
5. Conclude that the number 0.001 has exactly one significant figure.