LAB ACTIVITY 1.

ACCURACY AND PRECISION

ARAH M. LLAMAS BSED 1C SCIENCE

This Is Why There Are So Many Ties In Swimming

For each paragraph write one sentence that summarizes the paragraph or a question it poses.

Olympics 2016, three legends of swimming—Michael Phelps, Chad Le Clos, and László Cseh—
turned in identical times to share silver in the 100m butterfly. Last night, Simone Manuel tied for
gold with Canadian Penny Oleksiak in the 100m freestyle. Modern timing systems are capable of
measuring down to the millionth of a second—so why doesn’t FINA, the world swimming
governing body, increase its timing precision by adding thousandths-of-seconds?

• Michael Phelps, Chad Le Clos, and László Cseh shared silver in the 100m butterfly
despite the fact that FINA can increase its timing precision with modern timing systems.

As it turns out, FINA used to. In 1972, Sweden’s Gunnar Larsson beat American Tim McKee in
the 400m individual medley by 0.002 seconds. That finish led the governing body to eliminate
timing by a significant digit. But why?

• Why did FINA not implement it in the 2016 Olympics as they had done in 1972?

In a 50 meter Olympic pool, at the current men’s world record 50m pace, a thousandth-of-a-
second constitutes 2.39 millimeters of travel. FINA pool dimension regulations allow a tolerance
of 3 centimeters in each lane, more than ten times thatIn a 50 meter Olympic pool, at the current
men’s world record 50m pace, a thousandth-of-a-second constitutes 2.39 millimeters of travel.
FINA pool dimension regulations allow a tolerance of 3 centimeters in each lane, more than ten
times that amount.

• The FINA pool dimension requirements allow for a 3 centimeter tolerance in each lane,
which is more than ten times the amount of the current men's world record in 50m pace.

Could you time swimmers to a thousandth-of-a-second? Sure, but you couldn’t guarantee the
winning swimmer didn’t have a thousandth-of-a-second-shorter course to swim. (Attempting to
construct a concrete pool to any tighter a tolerance is nearly impossible; the effective length of a
pool can change depending on the ambient temperature, the water temperature, and even whether
or not there are people in the pool itself.)

• It is possible to time swimmers down to thousandth of second but you can't be sure that
the winning swimmer didn’t have a thousandth-of-a-second-shorter course to swim.
Sports that subject athletes to an identical course—bobsled, for example—can use thousandths
because this question doesn’t matter. Speed skating uses thousandths, though given how start
commands are issued in that sport and the incredibly slow speed of sound, maybe they shouldn’t.

• Speed skating uses thousandths because its start commands are issued in such a low-speed
manner.

Summarize the article in one paragraph:

• Michael Phelps, Chad Le Clos, and László Cseh shared silver in the 100m butterfly
despite the fact that FINA can increase its timing precision with modern timing systems.
But why did FINA not implement it in the 2016 Olympics as they had done in 1972? The
FINA pool dimension requirements allow for a 3 centimeter tolerance in each lane, which is
more than ten times the amount of the current men's world record in 50m pace. It is
possible to time swimmers down to thousandth of second but you can't be sure that the
winning swimmer didn’t have a thousandth-of-a-second-shorter course to swim. Speed
skating uses thousandths because its start commands are issued in such a low-speed
manner.

Explain the role of error and precision in measuring times at the Olympics:

• In today's Olympics, timing is everywhere, and it's almost instantaneous. Error would fall
under the category of accuracy. Precision's only effect was to reduce perceived connections.
As the precision improves, a spectrum emerges, culminating an actual winner. It makes a
difference whether you measure .5 feet, .25 feet, or .1 foot. The more precision employed,
the more likely a winner will emerge.

Accuracy & Precision

1. The following measurements were made to determine the density of a material whose value
was, according to the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 1.24 g/mL
Trial #1 1.20 g/mL

Trial #2 1.22 g/mL

Trial #3 1.22 g/mL

a. make a general comment on the accuracy of these results

• A little accurate but close
b. make a general comment on the precision of these results
• The precision is very good

c. what may have caused these results?

• A systemic or random error, the results are like that maybe because the object that was
used is not the exact material from the textbook.

2. The following measurements were made to determine the density of a material whose value
was, according to the handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 1.15 g/mL
Trial #1 0.95 g/mL
Trial #2 1.16 g/mL
Trial #3 1.26 g/mL

a. make a general comment on the accuracy of these results

• Not accurate at all

b. make a general comment on the precision of these results

• The measurements on the trials are not precise at all.

c. what may have caused these results?

• It wasn't tested right

3. The following measurements were made to determine the density of a material whose value
was, according to the handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 3.75 g/mL
Trial #1 4.75 g/mL
Trial #2 4.76 g/mL
Trial #3 4.74 g/mL

a. make a general comment on the accuracy of these results

• Not accurate

b. make a general comment on the precision of these results

• Very precise

c. what may have caused these results?

• The object used was bigger than the actual material used in the textbook.
Place 4 dots on each target with the appropriate level of accuracy and precision.

High Accuracy, High Precision High Accuracy, Low Precision

Low Accuracy, High Precision Low Accuracy, Low Precision

On Your Own!

a. Create one image representing accuracy but not precision

b. Create a second image representing precision but not accuracy

c. Create a third image representing accuracy and precision.

Cannot use a target or bulls-eye!!

Accuracy Precision Accuracy & Precision