&quot;Hey, 98.6, it&#x27;s good to have you back again... &quot;<p>One of the best-known numbers in biology came about due to a similar confusion over significant figures:<p>&gt; The first systematic measurements of human body temperature were performed by the German physician Carl Wunderlich. In 1861 he measured the temperatures of one million healthy individuals (a sample size that seems too large to be believed). The average value was reported as 37 degrees celsius. When converted this value becomes 98.6 degreed fahrenheit. So what&#x27;s the problem? Wunderlich&#x27;s value has only two significant figures while the converted value has three. The last digit (the &quot;point six&quot; at the end) should be regarded with great suspicion. Wunderlich&#x27;s converted value should really be stated as &quot;ninety eight point something&quot; if one is being honest.<p>Actually, if one is being honest and respecting the usual rules, it should be stated as 99°F; that is, rounded to two significant figures.<p>(And, of course, we&#x27;re not that simple: Core body temperature rises and falls naturally due to a number of factors even when we&#x27;re completely healthy, so any single number as &quot;the&quot; healthy body temperature is, strictly, incorrect.)<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;hypertextbook.com&#x2F;facts&#x2F;LenaWong.shtml" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;hypertextbook.com&#x2F;facts&#x2F;LenaWong.shtml</a>