Re: temperature standard - global config option?

[Kurt Roeckx <Q@ping.be>]

On Thu, Jun 21, 2001 at 12:18:12PM +0100, Jonathan Morton wrote:
> I've been taught by every Maths, Engineering and Physics 
> teacher/lecturer I've encountered to write down significant figures 
> consistent with the precision of the value.  So blindly writing down 
> a value of 59.42886726469 ±2°C is obviously ludicrous, even if that's 
> what my calculator gives me.  I should instead write 59 ±2°C, since 
> that is the most precision I can possibly know it to.  With some 
> advanced measuring techniques it *may* be acceptable to write 59.43 
> ±2°C *at most*, and then only if you really know why you need the 
> extra information.

What they teached me in school is about the same.  But the rule
for the precision was to use two signicifant(?) decimals.  So
you end up with 59.4 ± 2.0 °C or something.

Also note that you have to round up the precision, so it couldn't
have been 2.01, but could have been 1.01 the way you wrote it.


Kurt