To show that a measurement of $4700\text{ m}$ is accurate to the nearest meter, all four digits must be significant (implying an uncertainty of $\pm 1\text{ m}$). Scientific notation resolves the ambiguity of trailing zeros. The expression $4.700 \times 10^3\text{ m}$ has 4 significant figures. In contrast, $4.7 \times 10^3$ has 2 significant figures, and $4700$ is ambiguous because trailing zeros without a decimal point are generally not considered significant.