PHYSICS LAB REPORT

SEMESTER 1
EXPERIMENT 1

NAME
NO MATRIKS
DATE
ITEMS CONTENTS MARKS
TOPIC MEASUREMENT AND UNCERTAINTY
OBJECTIVE To measure and determine the uncertainty of length of various objects
THEORY Measuring some physical quantities is part and parcel of any physics
experiment. It is important to realise that not all measured values are
exactly the same as the actual values. This could be due to errors that we
made during the measurement or perhaps the apparatus that we use
may not be accurate or sensitive enough. Therefore as a rule the
uncertainty of a measurement must be taken and it has to be recorded
together with the measured value.

The uncertainty of the measurement depends on the type pf

measurement and how it is done. For a quantity x with the uncertainty
x , its measurement is recorded as below :

x x
The relative uncertainty of the measurement is defined as :

x x

And therefore its percentage of uncertainty is x x 100%.

1.1 Single Reading

a) If the reading is taken from a single point or at the end

of the scale,

x = x (smallest division from the scale)

b) If the reading are taken from two points on the scale,

x = 2 x [ x (smallest division from the scale)]

c) If the apparatus used the vernier scale,

x = 1 x (smallest unit from the vernier scale)

1.2 Repeated Readings

For a set of n repeated measurements of x , the best value

is the average value given by

=1
=

 where n = the number of measurements taken
x = the measurement

The uncertainty is given by

=1 | |
=

The result should be written as

x =

APPARATUS NO NAME RANGE SENSITIVITY

1 Metre rule (0.0 100.00) cm 0.1cm
2 Vernier callipers (0.00-15.00) cm 0.01cm
3 Micrometer (0.00-25.00) mm 0.01mm
screw gauge
4 Travelling (0.00-220.00)mm 0.01mm
microscope
5 Coin - -
(new edition)
6 Glass rod - -
7 Ball bearing - -
8 Capillary tube - -
(1 cm long)
PROCEDURE
1. Choose the appropriate instrument for measurement of
(i) Length of a laboratary manual.
(ii) Diameter of a coin.
(iii) External diameter of a glass rod.
(iv) Diameter of a ball bearing.
2. For task (i) to (iv), perform the measurement and record your
results in a suitable table for at least 5 readings. Refer to Table
1.1 as an example. Determine the percentage of uncertainty for
each set of readings.
3. Use travelling microscope to measure the internal diameter of
the capillary tube. Adjust the microscope so that the cross-hairs
coincide with the left and right edge of the internal diameter of
the tube.

The internal diameter, d=| |

DATA No. Length of the laboratory manual, | |

1
2
3
Average

No. Diameter of coin | |

1
2
3
Average

No. External diameter of glass rod | |

1
2
3
Average

No. Diameter of a ball bearing | |

1
2
3
Average

No. Diameter of capillary tube | |

1
2
3
Average

OBSERVATION
Calculation for the average reading for each item:

1) Length of laboratory manual

(A+B+C)cm 3 = cm

2) Diameter of coin
(A+B+C)cm 3 = cm

3) External diameter of glass rod

(A+B+C)cm 3 = mm
 4) Diameter of ball bearing
(A+B+C)mm 3 = mm

5) Diameter of capillary tube

(A+B+C)cm 3 = cm

DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION
REFERENCES