TUTORIAL CHAPTER 1

1. Define the term

i. measurement
ii. Instrumentation
iii. Error
iv. Precision

2. State three (3) functions of measuring instruments.

3. State 4 categories the standards of measurement.

4. Static errors are categorized as gross error, systematic error and random error.
Explain briefly three types of systematic error.

5. An experiment was conducted to measure audio frequency from a speaker.

Table1shows the set of 4 measurements that were conducted. Calculate:
i. The arithmetic mean
ii. Deviation from the mean for each data
iii. Standard deviation

Measurement number Audio frequency (KHz)

1 29.5
2 31.0
3 32.1
4 30.6

Table1

6. An experiment was conducted to measure voltage across a resistor. The results

obtained are shown in Table2. Calculate:
i. The value of dT.d2.d3, d4 and d5
ii. The average deviation
iii. The standard deviation
iv. Which measurement is the most precise? Why?

Measurement number Voltage (V) Deviation, d

1 10.2 d1=
2 9.5 d2=
3 9.8 d3=
4 10.1 d4=
5 10.0 d5=

Table2
7. The decade resistor box was used in an error analysis of circuit shown in Figure1. If
the decade resistor is set to 5500 Ω ±10%, determine:

Figure 1
i. The total resistance of the circuit, RT
ii. The expected total current IT
iii. The total power dissipated in the circuit
iv. percentage error for RT
v. The maximum and minimum percentage of error for R T

8. A circuit was tuned for resonance by eight difference students, and the following
values for the resonant frequency of the circuit were recorded. Calculate
i. The arithmetic mean 2 mark
ii. The deviation of each value 4 marks
iii. The average deviation 2 marks
iv. The standard deviation 3 marks
v. The precision of the first measurement 2 marks
vi. The precision of the second measurement 2 marks
vii. Which one is most precise? (compare between v and vi)1 marks

Reading No. Resonant Frequency (kHz)

1 132
2 148
3 143
4 135
5 146
6 131
7 143
8 136

9. The following set of 8 measurements was recorded in the laboratory.

i) Compute the arithmetic mean, the average deviation and standard deviation
for the readings.
ii) Calculate the precision of the sixth measurement. Which of the below
measurement is the most precise?

Reading No. Resonant Frequency (kHz)

1 98
2 102
3 101
4 97
5 100
6 103
7 99
8 107