The '''significant figures''' of a number are digits which give its [[measurement]] resolution (level of precision). This includes all digits except:
* All leading zeros;
* Trailing zeros when they are merely placeholders to indicate the scale of the number (exact rules are explained at identifying significant figures); and
* Extra digits introduced, for example, by calculations carried out to greater precision than that of the original data, or measurements reported to a greater precision than the equipment supports.
Numbers are often rounded to avoid saying the insignificant digits at the end. For example, it would create false precision to express a measurement as "12.34500" [[kilogram]]s (which has seven significant figures) if the scales only measured to the nearest gram and gave a reading of 12.345 kg (which has five significant figures). Numbers can also be rounded merely for simplicity, rather than to indicate a given precision of measurement. For example, a number can be rounded to make it faster to pronounce in [[news]] [[broadcast]]s.
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