The Vehicle Assembly Building at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, is the largest building in the world, with a volume of 3,666,500 m³ (a) Round off this quantity to four significant figures and then to two significant figures.

Verified step by step guidance

1. insert step 1> Identify the number of significant figures in the given volume, which is 3,666,500 m^3.
2. insert step 2> To round off to four significant figures, start from the left and count four digits: 3,666,500.
3. insert step 3> Look at the digit immediately after the fourth significant figure to decide whether to round up or down.
4. insert step 4> To round off to two significant figures, start from the left and count two digits: 3,666,500.
5. insert step 5> Again, look at the digit immediately after the second significant figure to decide whether to round up or down.

Key Concepts

Significant Figures

Significant figures are the digits in a number that contribute to its precision. This includes all non-zero digits, any zeros between significant digits, and trailing zeros in the decimal portion. Understanding significant figures is crucial for accurately reporting measurements and calculations in scientific contexts.

Rounding Rules

Rounding rules dictate how to adjust numbers to a specified level of precision. When rounding, if the digit to the right of the last significant figure is less than 5, the last significant figure remains unchanged. If it is 5 or greater, the last significant figure is increased by one. These rules ensure that numbers are expressed in a manageable form while retaining their significance.

Volume Measurement

Volume is a measure of the three-dimensional space occupied by an object, typically expressed in cubic units such as cubic meters (m³). In the context of the question, understanding how to manipulate and express large volume measurements accurately is essential for scientific calculations, especially when rounding to significant figures.