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significant figures
2

significant figures

significant figures

(OP)
Should significant figures apply to GD&T? What do you do when dividing decimals with different decimal places.

RE: significant figures

In a word.  No.

Tolerances should not be held to significant figures, they should be held within the accuracy bounds which are needed.  If you need three digit accuracy, and put only two digits, then the machinist will give you a part with two digit accuracy.  Conversely, if you give him (or her) four digits then more time would be spent trying to hit the four digit accuracy within the given tolerances.

Back to the point.  Give tolerances as needed, do not add an extra decimal because of mathematical operations.

Taking the science out of rocket science...One step at a time.

RE: significant figures

i think the OP was asking how do you express 1.0/0.50 ?

shoud the answer be 2 decimal places like the more precise dim'n ? or 1, or 3 ?

maybe you should express the math as 1.05/0.495 or 0.95/0.505 ... ie explore the limits of the dim'ns provided ??

RE: significant figures

See my response in GD&T,

To expound upon Mullins-

In the typical American (mechanical drawings) tolerancing system the number of decimal places corresponds to tolerance range given in the title block.

For instance 3dp may be +- .005, 2 dp may be +- .01 and 1 dp may be +- .03.

In other countries/working to other standards general tolerances like this are done differently.

When doing tolerance calculations I'll usually use all the decimals available and then round the result as required at the end based on function/title block tolerances.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: significant figures

well those are the default tolerances, nothing to stop a particular dim'n being expressly toleranced differently

RE: significant figures

I didn't mean to imply you can't apply different limits to individual dimensions.  

cmwatson78, any chance you can give a more detailed question.  

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

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