Definition:Abridged Multiplication
Definition
Abridged multiplication is multiplication using only so many significant figures as are required to obtain a product with sufficient precision.
Let $x$, $y$ and $z$ be real numbers such that $x y = z$.
Let $n \in \Z$ be an integer.
Let $z$ be required to be rounded to the nearest $n$th power of $10$.
Let $x$ and $y$ be reported to the nearest $n - r$th and $n - s$th power of $10$ respectively.
Then to obtain a product which is accurate to the nearest $n$th power of $10$, it is necessary to perform the multiplication using $x$ and $y$ be reported to the nearest $n - 1$th power of $10$ only, and the less significant figures in $x$ and $y$ can be ignored.
Examples
Arbitrary Example
Let:
\(\ds x\) | \(=\) | \(\ds 5.6982\) | ||||||||||||
\(\ds y\) | \(=\) | \(\ds 23\) |
Let it be required that $z = x y$ is to be rounded to $2$ decimal places.
Then, when we calculate:
- $z = 5.6982 \times 23$
we can ignore the $4$th decimal place in the partial products of $x y$.
Also see
- Results about abridged multiplication can be found here.
Sources
- 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): abridged multiplication
- 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): abridged multiplication