How many significant figures should she report for the value of the electronic charge?

Question

Millikan determined the charge on the electron by studying the static charges on oil drops falling in an electric field. A student carried out this experiment using several oil drops for her measurements and calculated the charges on the drops. She obtained the following data:
Droplet
Calculated Charge (C)
A
1.60×10^-19
B
3.15×10^-19
C
4.81×10^-19
D
6.31×10^-19

Answer 1

When trying to determine the number of sig figs for the answer you always look at the numbers within the problem. The number with the least amount of sig figs will determine the answer.

 

Each of the results obtained have three sig figs. Therefore, the number of sig figs in the answer should be three.