What answer should be reported, with the correct number of significant figures, for the following calculation?

• A. 0.00822
• B. 0.0845
• C. 0.0921
• D. 0.0947

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Analyze the given expression. The calculation involves subtraction in the numerator (42.00 - 40.915) and multiplication in the denominator (11.50 × 1.001). The final result is obtained by dividing the numerator by the denominator.
2. Step 2: Perform the subtraction in the numerator. When subtracting, the result should be reported with the same number of decimal places as the number with the least decimal places. Here, 42.00 has 2 decimal places, so the result of the subtraction should be rounded to 2 decimal places.
3. Step 3: Perform the multiplication in the denominator. When multiplying, the result should be reported with the same number of significant figures as the number with the least significant figures. Here, 11.50 has 4 significant figures, and 1.001 also has 4 significant figures, so the result of the multiplication should be reported with 4 significant figures.
4. Step 4: Divide the numerator by the denominator. When dividing, the result should be reported with the same number of significant figures as the number with the least significant figures in the calculation. The significant figures of the numerator and denominator should be considered to determine the final result.
5. Step 5: Round the final result to the correct number of significant figures based on the rules of significant figures. Ensure the answer is properly formatted and reflects the correct precision.