1.

2 Problems Uncertainty Jul-20

1. Why is it incorrect to think that the more digits you include in your answer, the more accurate it
is?
When combining values with different degrees of precision, the precision of the final answer
can be no greater than the least precise measurement.

2. What is wrong with the road sign below?

Too many digits

Orlando 7 mi (11.263 km)

3. Three students measure a pencil using different measurement tools. Their results are: 120.0
mm, 12.0 cm, 0.120 cm, and 0.00016 km. Which measurement implies the greatest precision?
Why?
120.0mm , because it is closest to all the other measurements.

4. Define accuracy.
How close the value is to the correct answer.

5. In an experiment the measure the acceleration of free fall at the surface of the Earth the
following results were obtained: 7.69, 7.70, 7.69, 7.68, and 7.70 ms-2. In terms of both precision
and accuracy, how would you describe the results?
Not accurate, but precise. Since none of the measurements come close to the answer, but all of
them are very consistent.

6. Explain what is meant by systematic error. How would it be represented in a graph of data?
an error that is not determined by chance but is introduced by an inaccuracy inherent in the
system.
It could be represented as affecting the measurement that was taken.

7. Five people measure the mass of an object. The results are 0.56 g, 0.58 g, 0.58 g, 0.55 g, 0.59
g. How would you report the measured value for the object’s mass?
0.57 ± 0.01

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1.2 Problems Uncertainty Jul-20

8. Jessy measured 8 floor tiles to be (2.67 ± 0.03) m long. What is the length of one floor tile?
0.3±0.003 meters

9. The first part of a trip took (25 ± 3) s, and the second part of the trip took (17 ± 2) s.

a. How long did the whole trip take?

42±5s

b. How much longer was the first part of the trip than the second part?
1.5±0.4 times longer
10. A car traveled 600. m ± 12 m in 32 ± 3 s. What was the speed of the car?
19±2 ms-1

11. The time t it takes an object to fall freely from rest a distance d is given by the formula: =
where g is the acceleration due to gravity. A ball fell (12.5 ± 0.3) m. How long did this take?
No formula present to use

12. The quantity Q depends on the measured values a and b as shown below. In each case, find the
value of Q and its uncertainty.

a. Q = a/b, a = 20 ±1, b = 10 ± 1
Q=2±0.3

b. Q = 2a +3b, a = 20 ± 2, b = 15 ± 3
Q=85±25.5

c. Q =a - 2b, a = 50 ± 1, b = 24 ± 1
Q=2±0.1
d. Q =a2, a = 10.0 ± 0.3
100±6

e. Q = a2 / b2, a = 100 ± 5, b = 20 ± 2
Q= 25±3

Sources:
Giancoli, D. C. (2014). Physics: Principles with applications. Boston: Pearson.
Hamper, C. (2014). Higher level physics. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
Homer, D., & Bowen-Jones, M. (2014). Physics: Course companion. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kirk, T. (2014). Physics. for the IB diploma. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Serway, R. A., & Faughn, J. S. (2006). Physics. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Tsokos, K. A. (2014). Physics for the IB Diploma. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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