Rounding off during working out

[dekoyl]

I know this has been asked before but I can't find it using the search function.

Anyway, during a 4 mark question, do we round off each part of the question to obtain the final part of the answer?

There's a question that requires you to find the mole  but the mole comes out to be 133 333. The final answer needs to be rounded off to 3 sig figs but I used 133 333 to find the final answer whereas VCAA used . Anyway, their final answer was whereas mine was so there is quite a bit of difference.

[TrueTears]

I'd definitely put

But for the calculation for later parts I'd use then round off to however many sig figs/d.p's they want.

[hyperblade01]

Teacher emailed VCAA ages ago for mid-years - they said to quote to sig figs for each part but carry the exact value in your calculator as you go through the question

I was also told that they take both unrounded and rounded - but you never know...

[silva]

I'd definitely put

But for the calculation for later parts I'd use then round off to however many sig figs/d.p's they want.

but thats not what VCAA do in their solutions? so do we do their method and use the rounded off figure for each answer

[TrueTears]

I'd definitely put

But for the calculation for later parts I'd use then round off to however many sig figs/d.p's they want.

but thats not what VCAA do in their solutions? so do we do their method and use the rounded off figure for each answer

I assume it's the same for maths (asked in another thread), they'd take both answers, rounded and unrounded like hyperblade said.

[dekoyl]

Ah okay. Cause this is what they did:

[kendraaaaa]

I put sig figs on the paper in each step but leave it unrounded in the calculator.

[shinny]

Every company cbfs with doing things properly including VCAA themselves it seems, but it's been suggested by VCAA many times to carry it over through an entire question. To emphasise this point however, you're probably best to write something like n(CO2) in the next question to quote the exact value, rather than writing down the approximated one whilst using the exact value on your calculator to avoid confusing the examiner on how you got such a number in the end, since it wouldn't add up properly. Otherwise, sometimes I just wrote down a few more sig figs than was required from the previous question in the following question to show that I'm using the exact value.

[silva]

Every company cbfs with doing things properly including VCAA themselves it seems, but it's been suggested by VCAA many times to carry it over through an entire question. To emphasise this point however, you're probably best to write something like n(CO2) in the next question to quote the exact value, rather than writing down the approximated one whilst using the exact value on your calculator to avoid confusing the examiner on how you got such a number in the end, since it wouldn't add up properly. Otherwise, sometimes I just wrote down a few more sig figs than was required from the previous question in the following question to show that I'm using the exact value.

that is so confusing that VCAA do that then (round off their answers) as it suggests to us that we should do the same and carry it on through our answers whereas they want us to use the value in our calculator..very lazy on their behalf and fkn confusing

[Collin Li]

I put sig figs on the paper in each step but leave it unrounded in the calculator.

Same

Every company cbfs with doing things properly including VCAA themselves it seems, but it's been suggested by VCAA many times to carry it over through an entire question. To emphasise this point however, you're probably best to write something like n(CO2) in the next question to quote the exact value, rather than writing down the approximated one whilst using the exact value on your calculator to avoid confusing the examiner on how you got such a number in the end, since it wouldn't add up properly. Otherwise, sometimes I just wrote down a few more sig figs than was required from the previous question in the following question to show that I'm using the exact value.

Completely true +1, and smart idea about including more sig-figs in intermediate steps to "explain" to the examiner what you're doing. I do things like this too, but not for sig-figs.