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The rule to calculate significant figures for multiplication and division are not the same as the rule for addition and subtraction. For multiplication and division, only the total number of significant figures in each of the factors in the calculation matters; the digit position of the last significant figure in each factor is irrelevant.
A divisibility rule is a shorthand and useful way of determining whether a given integer is divisible by a fixed divisor without performing the division, usually by examining its digits. Although there are divisibility tests for numbers in any radix , or base, and they are all different, this article presents rules and examples only for decimal ...
Under these circumstances, all the significant figures go into expressing b. For example, if the precision is 15 figures, and these two numbers, b and the square root, are the same to 15 figures, the difference will be zero instead of the difference ε. A better accuracy can be obtained from a different approach, outlined below.
Similarly, division is accomplished by subtracting the divisor's exponent from the dividend's exponent, and dividing the dividend's significand by the divisor's significand. There are no cancellation or absorption problems with multiplication or division, though small errors may accumulate as operations are performed in succession. [ 43 ]
While the first interpretation may be expected by some users due to the nature of implied multiplication, [38] the latter is more in line with the rule that multiplication and division are of equal precedence. [3] When the user is unsure how a calculator will interpret an expression, parentheses can be used to remove the ambiguity. [3]
A common technique used for division is called long division. Other methods include short division and chunking. [72] Integer arithmetic is not closed under division. This means that when dividing one integer by another integer, the result is not always an integer. For instance, 7 divided by 2 is not a whole number but 3.5. [73]
Rounding is almost unavoidable when reporting many computations – especially when dividing two numbers in integer or fixed-point arithmetic; when computing mathematical functions such as square roots, logarithms, and sines; or when using a floating-point representation with a fixed number of significant digits.
The Fuller calculator, sometimes called Fuller's cylindrical slide rule, is a cylindrical slide rule with a helical main scale taking 50 turns around the cylinder. This creates an instrument of considerable precision – it is equivalent to a traditional slide rule 25.40 metres (1,000 inches) long.