NSMQ Strategies and Tips

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‼️Dear Contestants,
This page will be active once again from 24th August, 2024.

Amendments are being made to deliver you with the best and updated NSMQ tricks for this edition of the condition. Stay tuned

❗Rules for Significant Figures(s.f)

🚩To determine the number of significant figures in a number use the following 3 rules:

🎯Non-zero digits are always significant.
⏺️Example: 25 has 2 sf's ; 0.456 has 3 sf's...

🎯Any zeros between two significant digits are significant.
⏺️Example: 301 has 3sf's ; 0.5001 has 4 sf's

🎯A final zero or trailing zeros in the decimal portion ONLY are significant.
⏺️Example: .500 or .632000 the zeros are significant making the figures 3sf's and 6sf's respectively.

‼️NB: .006 or .000968 the zeros are NOT significant, making them 1sf and 3sf's respectively.


⭕Algebraic Operations

🚩For addition and subtraction use the following rules:

🎯Count the number of significant figures in the decimal portion ONLY of each number in the problem

🎯Add or subtract in the normal fashion

🎯Your final answer should have no more significant figures to the right of the decimal than the LEAST number of significant figures in any number in the problem.

⏺️Examples:
1️⃣ 0.100 + 3.0
0.100 has 3sf's at the decimal portion
3.0 has 1sf at the decimal portion

1sf at the decimal portion is the least so the answer must be round up to 1sf at the decimal portion.

Hence the answer is 3.1

2️⃣ 3.45 + 0.116 + 19.73
3.45 has 2sf's at the decimal portion
0.110 has 3sf's at the decimal portion
19.73 has 2sf's at the decimal portion

The least amongst them is 2sf, hence the answer should have only 2sf's at the decimal portion.

Algebraically the answer is 23.296
Hence our real answer will be 23.30, since we're rounding up our decimal place to get only 2sf's.

🚩For multiplication and division use the following rule:

🎯The LEAST number of significant figures in any number of the problem determines the number of significant figures in the answer. (You are now looking at the entire number, not just the decimal portion)

🚩This means you have to be able to recognize significant figures in order to use this rule

⏺️Examples:
1️⃣ 1.950 × 0.0400

1.950 has 4sf's
0.0400 has 3sf's

The least sf's here is 3, hence the answer must be left in 3sf's.

Algebraically, we have 0.078 which has 2sf's
So the answer must be round up to give 3sf's, and by doing so, we add another 0 to the trailing digit since trailing zeros at the decimal portion are significant.

Hence our final answer is 0.0780

Try:
0.199000 × 0.1
1.56 - 1

Have you ever wondered why an answer like 3m/s is judged incorrect but a bonus which gives an answer of 3.0m/s is judged correct?

Stay tuned as we bring to you the rules governing the use of significant figures...

Good Day Comrades!!!.
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🎯Question type: Find "x" consecutive (integers, even numbers, odd numbers), whose sum is "S".

💡Strategy: Divide S by x, and that's your middle number. Add and subtract;
"1" , if they are integers.
"2" , if they are even or odd numbers.
1️⃣ Find three consecutive odd numbers whose sum is 75.

📝 75/3 and that's 25.
📝 Add 2 and you get 27.
📝 Subtract 2 and you get 23.
📝 The numbers are 23, 25, 27.

2️⃣ Find five consecutive integers whose sum is 35.
📝 35 ÷ 5 gives us 7, which is the middle digit.
📝 7, plus one gives 8
📝 7, minus one gives 6
🚩But note, we need five digits from the question, and we only have three. So we add and subtract again to give two more digits.
📝6 minus 1 gives 6
📝 8 plus 1 gives 9

📝 The digits are 5,6,7,8 and 9.

🎯Try
1. Find three consecutive even numbers whose sum is 48.
2. Find five consecutive odd numbers whose sum is 105.
3. Find three consecutive integers whose sum is 33.

📝Post answers in comment section

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