Now suppose we want to find the area of the label by multiplying the two measured values. If we were to claim the area is (5.5 cm)(6.4 cm) $ 35.2 cm2, our answer would be unjustifiable because it contains three significant figures, which is greater than the number of significant figures in either of the measured quantities. A good rule of thumb to use in determining the number of significant figures that can be claimed in a multiplication or a division is as follows