Honors Version2

Cell Biology Test – 70 possible points

Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells (2 points per question) 7) The presence of what cellular structure distinguishes a
plant cell from an animal cell?
1) Which of the following statements is false? a) Cell membrane
a) Prokaryotic cells are smaller than eukaryotic cells b) Chloroplast
b) Eukaryotic organisms can be multicellular c) Mitochondria
c) Prokaryotic lack a nucleus d) Nucleus
d) Plant cells are not eukaryotic

2) Which of the following clues would tell you whether a cell True/False: (2 points per question)
is prokaryotic or eukaryotic?
a) the presence or absence of a rigid cell wall 8) All cells have a cell wall but only plant cells have a cell
b) whether or not the cell has organelles membrane.
c) the presence or absence of ribosomes a) True
d) whether or not the cell contains DNA b) False

3) Bacterial cells are prokaryotic; in comparison to a typical 9) Metabolism is all the chemical reactions occurring in an
eukaryotic cell they would organism.
a) be smaller. a) True
b) have a smaller nucleus. b) False
c) lack a cell membrane.
d) have fewer organelles. 10) The mitochondrion is responsible for photosynthesis.
a) True
4) The electron microscope has been particularly useful in b) False
studying bacteria, because
a) electrons can penetrate tough bacterial cell walls. 11) Chloroplasts contain green chlorophyll and are
b) bacteria are so small. responsible for photosynthesis.
c) bacteria move so quickly they are hard to photograph. a) True
d) with few organelles present, bacteria are b) False
distinguished by differences in individual molecules.
Organelle Function (2 points per question)
5) A cell has mitochondria, ribosomes, smooth and rough
ER, and other parts. Based on this information, it could not 12) The organelle found in both animal and plant cells that is
be clear but contains dissolved nutrients and ions is the:
a) a cell from a pine tree. a) vacuole
b) a grasshopper cell. b) cytoplasm
c) a bacterium. c) rough ER
d) Actually, it could be any of the above. d) golgi apparatus

6) Which of the following is NOT an example of a eukaryotic 13) Which organelles are responsible for digesting cell waste
cell? and foreign bacteria?
a) Red blood cell a) golgi apparatus
b) Bacteria b) cytoskeleton
c) Cheek epithelial cell c) nucleus
d) Onion root cell d) lysosome

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 Honors Version2
14) Which two structures are not present in animal cells? 20) Which organelle(s) is/are involved in the process of
a) a vacuole and a nucleus producing and exporting of proteins?
b) a cell wall and chloroplasts a) Ribosome
c) a Golgi apparatus and mitochondria b) Endoplasmic reticulum
d) an endoplasmic reticulum and cytoplasm. c) Golgi apparatus
d) All of the above
15) Of the following organelles, which group is involved in
manufacturing substances needed by the cell? 21) You would expect a cell with an extensive Golgi apparatus
a) ribosome, rough ER, nucleolus to
b) vacuole, rough ER, nucleolus a) make a lot of ATP.
c) nucleolus, ribosome, vacuole b) secrete a lot of material.
d) rough ER, lysosome, vacuole c) move actively.
d) perform photosynthesis.
16) A researcher made an interesting observation about a
protein made by the rough ER and eventually used to 22) Which of the following statements is true about
build a cell's plasma membrane. The protein in the mitochondria?
membrane was actually slightly different from the protein a) They are the site of energy (ATP) production in plant
made in the ER. The protein was probably changed in the cells
a) golgi apparatus. b) They are the site of energy (ATP) production in in
b) smooth ER. animal cells
c) mitochondrion. c) They provide photosynthesis in plants
d) nucleus. d) They are the site of energy (ATP) production in both
animal and plant cells
17) Which of these organelles modifies cell products and then
packages them for distribution? 23) To enter or leave a cell, substances must pass through
a) The nucleus a) a microtubule.
b) The cell membrane b) the Golgi apparatus.
c) The mitochondrion c) a ribosome.
d) The Golgi apparatus d) the nucleus.
e) the cell membrane.
18) Which of the following correctly matches an organelle with
its function? 24) The ‘powerhouse’ of the cell that generates the cell’s
a) mitochondrion . . . photosynthesis energy-rich ATP molecules is the:
b) nucleus . . . creation of energy (ATP) from sugars. a) mitochondrion
c) lysosome . . . movement b) smooth ER
d) central vacuole . . . storage c) chloroplast
d) nucleus
19) After you add a chemical to cells growing in a test tube,
proteins accumulate in the cell’s rough endoplasmic 25) The jellylike fluid that contains nutrients in a cell is the:
reticulum (ER). The chemical added prevents movement a) cytoplasm
of proteins from the ER to which organelle? b) vacuole
a) Golgi apparatus c) nucleus
b) Lysosome d) cell membrane
c) Mitochondria
d) Ribosome

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 Honors Version2
26) This structure gives a cell shape, allows it to move, and
moves organelles.
a) cytosol
b) cytoskeleton
c) cytoplasm
d) plasma membrane
27) Which cell structures cause the outer surface of
endoplasmic reticulum to appear rough?
a) ribosomes
b) proteins
c) mitochondria
d) golgi apparatus
28) Which statement below best describes the function of the
nucleus?
a) Stores cells wastes and destructive enzymes
b) contains hereditary information and controls most of
the cell’s processes
c) directs cell division in animal cells
d) controls water pressure and stores wastes
Labeling: (2 points per identified structure)
29) Using the following image of a prokaryotic cell, identify
two of the labeled parts. Please write the answer to your
labeling question on the back of your bubble sheet.
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Short Answer: (5 points per question)
Choose to answer TWO of the following short answer
questions.
Please write the answer to your short answer question on the
back of your bubble sheet. Each answer should be at least 3
to 4 sentences long.
1) Compare plant and animal cells. Be sure to include at
least three organelles plant and animal cells have in
common, and at least three organelles that are
different.
2) Is the plasma membrane the outer boundary of all
cells? When is this true? When is this not true?
3) Compare the functions of the mitochondrion and
chloroplast. How are they different? How are they
similar?
4) Describe the steps by which a protein is first
synthesized, and then exported by a cell. Be sure to
explain what organelles are involved in this process.
5) How do organelles in eukaryotic cells act in a manner
similar to the organs in a multicellular organism? In
your answer, choose at least three organelles to
support your answer.
Bonus: Please write the answer to your bonus questions on
your bubble sheet. Each question is worth two points.
B1) How do you calculate the total magnification of your
specimen when using a compound light microscope?
B2) Reorder the following parts of living things from largest to
smallest – cell, organ, organism, tissue, atom, molecule, organ
system, organelle
Biology Name:

Date:

Period:

Cell Organelles Worksheet

Complete the following table by writing the name of the cell part or organelle in the right hand
column that matches the structure/function in the left hand column. A cell part may be used more
than once.

Structure/Function Cell Part

1. Stores material within the cell

2. Closely stacked, flattened sacs (plants only)

3. The sites of protein synthesis

4. Transports materials within the cell

5. The region inside the cell except for the nucleus

6. Organelle that manages or controls all the cell functions in a

eukaryotic cell
7. Contains chlorophyll, a green pigment that traps energy from
sunlight and gives plants their green color
8. Digests excess or worn-out cell parts, food particles and invading
viruses or bacteria

9. Small bumps located on portions of the endoplasmic reticulum

10. Provides temporary storage of food, enzymes and waste products

11. Firm, protective structure that gives the cell its shape in plants,
fungi, most bacteria and some protests

12. Produces a usable form of energy for the cell

13. Packages proteins for transport out of the cell

14. Everything inside the cell including the nucleus

15. Site where ribosomes are made

WS - Cell Organelles.doc
16. The membrane surrounding the cell

17. Provides support for the cell, has two “subparts”

18. Name for the collection of DNA in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells

19. Consist of hollow tubes which provide support for the cell

20. Small hair-like structures used for movement or sensing things

21. Composed of a phospholipid bilayer

22. Longer whip-like structures used for movement

Put each of the following organelles into one of the four columns, based on their role in metabolism.
Lysosomes Mitochondria Plasma membrane Vacuoles

Ingestion Digestion Respiration Excretion

!
Put a check in the appropriate column(s) to indicate whether the following organelles are found in
plant cells, animal cells or both.
Plant Animal Plant Animal
Organelle Organelle
Cells Cells Cells Cells
Cell Wall Mitochondria
Vesicle Nucleolus
Chloroplast Nucleus
Chromatin Plasma membrane
Cytoplasm Central vacuole
Cytoskeleton Ribosome
Endoplasmic reticulum Vacuole
Golgi apparatus
Lysosome

Page !2
 Name:_______________________________ Date:______________ Period: _____
This is a great review for Cellular Transport. This information WILL be on the semester exam!
CELLULAR TRANSPORT REVIEW
Helpful Hints:
 Hypo =Hippo: The cell will swell
 If you are ACTIVE…you are using energy
 If you are passive…you are NOT using energy
 Remember “Salt Sucks” water will always move too where there is more solute.
Match the definition on the left with the term on the right. a. diffusion
1. _____ release of wastes or cell products from inside to outside a cell b. equilibrium
2. _____ diffusion of water molecules through a selectively permeable membrane c. exocytosis
3. _____ loss of water from a cell resulting in a drop in turgor pressure in plants. Plasma d. osmosis
membrane detaches from the cell wall e. plasmolysis
4. _____ continuous movement of particles but no overall change in concentration
5. _____ movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to one of lower
concentration
In the space at the left, write true if the statement is true. If the statement is false, change the italicized term to
make the statement true. Write this answer in the blank provided.
_______________ 7. A solution in which the concentration of dissolved substances is lower than the concentration
inside a cell is hypertonic.
_______________ 8. The internal pressure of a plant cell is called turgor pressure.
_______________ 9. In passive transport, the movement of particles across a membrane requires energy.
_______________ 10. Endocytosis is a process by which a cell membrane surrounds and takes in material from
the environment.
_______________ 11. The passive transport of material across a membrane by means of transport proteins is
called activated diffusion.
_______________ 12. A membrane that allows only some materials to pass through shows selective permeability.
Highlight or circle the word or phrase that best completes the statement or answers the question.
13. The structure most responsible for maintaining cell homeostasis is the
cytoplasm cell wall mitochondria cell membrane
14. A cell membrane is made up of a(n)
cholesterol layer enzyme layer lipid bilayer protein layer
15. Which of the following is not a form of passive transport?
facilitated diffusion diffusion endocytosis osmosis
16. Diffusion continues until
equilibrium is reached turgor pressure is reached one side has more
17. If a cell is placed in salt water, water leaves the cell by
osmosis diffusion active transport phagocytosis
18. If it is not watered, a tulip plant wilts because it
increases active transport loses turgor pressure increases turgor pressure
19. A cell moves particles from a region of lesser concentration to a region of greater concentration by
facilitated diffusion osmosis passive transport active transport

20. What organelle produce the energy required in active transport?

21. What organelle plays a large role in exocytosis by packaging proteins into vesicles?
22. If a cell normally contain 70% solute inside. If the outside solution has 60% solute what happens?
23. When molecules move with the concentration gradient it means they are moving from _______________to
____________concentration
24. Define equilibrium:
Label the following cells as isotonic, hypotonic or hypertonic

Use the pictures on the left to answer the questions on the right.
1. After digestion:
= glucose molecule a. Which side has the higher concentration of glucose? ________
blood b. Which way will the glucose go? ________________________
cell c. Does this require energy? ___________
d. Is this active or passive transport? _______________________
e. What specific type of transport is this? ___________________

2. Plant cell after being over-watered.

a. Water rushes into the plant cell’s vacuole. Is this diffusion or osmosis?
____________________
b. Is this passive or active transport? ________________
c. What is the force called that causes water to rush into the plant cell?
____________________________
d. Does turgor pressure increase or decrease? ___________
e. Is the plant cell in a hypertonic, hypotonic, or isotonic environment?
_________________________________
f. What will more likely occur to the cell if this continues , plasmolysis or
cytolysis? ________________________
Match the term with its correct description:
a. energy e. active transport
b. facilitated diffusion f. exocytosis
c. endocytosis g. carrier protein
d. passive transport h. channel protein
________ Transport protein that provides a tube-like opening in the plasma membrane through which
particles can diffuse
________ Is used during active transport but not passive transport
________ Process by which a cell takes in material by forming a vacuole around it
________ Particle movement from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration
________ Process by which a cell expels wastes from a vacuole
________ A form of passive transport that uses transport proteins
________ Particle movement from an area of lower concentration to an area of higher concentration
________ Transport protein that changes shape when a particle binds with it
 Complete the following chart comparing the various methods of cell transport.
Transport
Direction
Uses Transport
Transport Active or Uses ATP (down or
Proteins
Method Passive (Y or N) against
(Y or N)
concentration
gradient)
Diffusion
Osmosis
Facilitated
Diffusion
Active
Transport
Endo/Exocytosis
 Photosynthesis Review
1. What is the overall reaction for photosynthesis?

2. How does this compare to the overall reaction for cellular respiration?

3. Where does the energy for photosynthesis come from?

4. What plant pigments are involved in photosynthesis?

5. Explain why chlorophyll appears green to us in terms of what happens to different wavelengths of light that
strike a chlorophyll molecule.

6. How does the amount of energy in light change as the wavelength increases?

7. Which colors of light are most effective for photosynthesis? Explain why.

8. In what organelle of a plant cell does photosynthesis take place?

9. What are the two stages of photosynthesis?

10. In which part of the chloroplast does each stage occur?

11. What happens to water molecules in the light reactions?

12. What photosynthesis waste product is formed in the light reactions?

13. What two products of the light reactions are used up in the Calvin cycle?
14. What happens to carbon dioxide molecules in the Calvin cycle reactions?

15. How can cells store the sugar that is produced in photosynthesis?

16. Label the diagram below to summarize the two stages of photosynthesis.

2. 3.

1. 4. 4. _____

7.

8. 11.
6.
5.
9.

12.
12._______
10.

13. 14.
Scientific Notation, Significant Figures and Rounding-Off

1. Convert the following numbers to scientific notation:

a. 9,800,000
b. 0.0000654
c. 7,230,000,000,000
d. 0.004563
e. 6700.

2. How many significant figures are in each of the following numbers?

a. 0.04506
b. 710.6
c. 0.00070800
d. 63,000
e. 7.1 X 105
f. 0.00716
g. 5.06720 X 10-3
h. 900.
i. 90,403,050
j. 820.00

3. Round the following numbers to three significant figures:

a. 23.4672
b. 0.0089818
c. 98855555
d. 782,100,000
e. 4000

4. Carry out the following calculations and express the answer with the
correct number of significant figures:
a. 54.83 x 6.8204 x 1.778 =
b. 14.832 + 123.8 + 17.5 + 218.623 =
c. 5.134 X 10-3 + 2.648 X 10-2 =
d. 7.5 X 10-2 x 8.32 X 105 =
e. 56.78 + 121.0 =
f. 1.5 X 104 ÷ 3.67 X 10-2 =
g. 345.9 – 23.446 =
h. 1205.0 + 122.07 + 69.377 =
i. 0.0003591 + 0.008111 + 0.005000817 =
j. (0.0457 + 0.0002999) x 0.4051
 5 – Accuracy and error
Accuracy is the closeness of an observed value to its
“true” value (a true value could be some theoretical value,
or a value accepted by physicists and tabulated in
secondary sources).
On some level, every measurement is limited in its
accuracy. One reason is that there are limitations in the
instruments we use for measuring – they may lack
sensitivity, or the graduations on them (their resolution)
might not be fine enough.
Environmental factors can also interfere with making measurements, and we as humans have our
limitations in making and reading measurements, too.
The difference between an observed value and its true value is called error (for us, it does not mean
“mistake”, as is its common meaning).
There are three ways that we can quantify error and accuracy:

Absolute error |true value − observed value|

Relative error |true value − observed value|

(also called percentage error when expressed as %) true value

Accuracy 100% − percentage error

High accuracy measurements have small errors, and low accuracy measurements have large errors. You
could set an arbitrary limit on what you call “accurate”, say for example, “less than 5% error”.

Question 1
Calculate the absolute and percentage errors for the following results. Using the arbitrary criteria for
accuracy as being >95% accurate, assess whether the results are accurate or inaccurate.
Observed Percentage
True value Absolute error Accuracy Accurate?
value error
2.638 m 2.715 m

15.26 s 13.98 s

83 400 kg 84 200 kg

45 N 41 N

18
 Systematic and random errors
When you make multiple measurements and compute the errors, you might start to recognise patterns in
how and when they occur. Because of this, errors can be put into one of two categories depending on how
they behave:
• Systematic errors –When repeated, observed values are displaced in same direction from the true
value. That is, the observed values might read consistently higher or consistently lower than the
true value.
These types of errors are often caused by improperly calibrated measuring instruments, or “zero”
errors (such as when an electronic balance shows a non-zero reading when there is nothing on its
pan – every reading will be higher than it should be).
• Random errors – When repeated, observed values are scattered randomly above and below the true
value.
These types of errors are often caused by random fluctuations in the ambient conditions or
uncontrolled variables.

Systematic errors shift all Random errors cause measurements to

measurements in the same direction. spread randomly in all directions.

Question 2
Assess whether the following situations represent systematic or random errors.
(a) The Royal Australian Mint states that the mass of a 50 cent coin is 15.55 g, so some students choose
to measure some for themselves. First, they measure the mass of one coin, and then of two coins,
and so on.
Predict the “true” values and compare them with the observations.

Number of coins “True” values Observed values

1 14.61 g

2 31.06 g

3 45.68 g

4 61.58 g

5 77.14 g

What type of error is demonstrated here?

19
 (b) Some students are interested in the boiling temperature of water. They go away in groups and heat
equal amounts of water drawn from the same laboratory tap. They measure the water temperature
with thermometers once boiling. Below are their results.
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5

102°C 99°C 103°C 101°C 98°C

What type of error is demonstrated here?

Improving accuracy (that is, reducing errors!)

To increase accuracy, we therefore need to reduce error. We can do that by modifying experimental
techniques or procedures to make the error absolutely smaller, or by making the error smaller relative to the
value we are measuring.

Question 3
How does the use of measuring instruments with appropriate sensitivity and resolution improve accuracy?

Question 4
The following procedure reduces the relative error of a measurement:–
• Instead of measuring the relatively quick period of a short pendulum, you could measure the
relatively slow period for a long pendulum.
Explain how this sort of technique improves accuracy.

Question 5
Explain how pressing the “tare” (or “zero”) button on an electronic balance before measuring a mass
reduces systematic error. What might happen if you did not press the tare button?

Question 6
Explain how taking measurements in a series of repeated trials, and then calculating an average, reduces
random error.

20
 6 – Estimating uncertainties in measurements
While the concept of error compares measurements against values assumed to be “true”, there are many
more measurements that cannot be compared to known or accepted values. For example, if we measured
the length of a bit of string that we have, what is our error? We cannot compare our measurement with that
of an expert – they don’t have our string!
Instead, what we should do is report our measurements with some indication of the certainty we have in it.
Remember, every measurement we make is, on some level, an approximation. To communicate how
precise we think our measurement is, we can cite a margin of error which we call uncertainty.

Approximate length, L

–ΔL +ΔL
Uncertainty
If we have a measurement 𝑥 , then the uncertainty in that measurement is Δ𝑥 . When we communicate the
measurement to others, we write it in the form 𝑥 ± ∆𝑥 . The uncertainty has the same units as the
measurement.
For example, the bar in the diagram above could have length 6.0 ± 0.5 cm.
So when we make measurements, how do we know how big our uncertainty is? Well, we will answer that
later in this unit.
Question 1
What is the length and uncertainty of the bar below?

7.0 cm

0.3 cm 0.3 cm

Length =

A smaller uncertainty means that we can have higher confidence in a measurement. Compare this bar to
the one earlier, in the notes (L = 6.0 ± 0.5 cm). Which measurement can we have more confidence in?

21
 Writing uncertainties

Recall how significant figures communicate the uncertainty in a number. For example, 1234 m (4 significant
figures, has uncertainty ±0.5 m) has less uncertainty than 1200 m (2 significant figures, has uncertainty
±50 m). Because of this, there is a link between the number of digits that we report for a measurement and
its uncertainty.
So to properly present a number with its uncertainty:
• Step 1: Round the uncertainty to one significant figure.
• Step 2: Round the measurement to the same place value (decimal place).
If the measurement’s and uncertainty’s lowest place values don’t match, then the extra digits are
meaningless – a relatively large uncertainty swamps the small value added by the extra digits.
Examples:
• 9.61482 ± 0.0372 m.s–2 should be rounded to 9.61 ± 0.03 m.s–2
• 1522.1 ± 68.34 km should be rounded to 1520 ± 70 km

Question 2
Rewrite these uncertain quantities with the appropriate digits.

51.784 ± 0.0812 m 0.2874 ± 0.0053 A

841 063 ± 462 kg (6.322 ± 0.48) × 104 V

Just like with errors, we can express uncertainties in absolute terms, or in relative terms.

Absolute uncertainty
(has the same units as the measurement)
Δ𝑥

Relative uncertainty Δ𝑥
(also called percentage uncertainty when expressed as %) 𝑥

For example, the resistance of an electrical component could be written in absolute terms as 12.2 ± 0.3 Ω
or in percentage terms as 12.2 Ω ± 2%. We can arbitrarily set a criteria for how small an uncertainty counts
as being “high precision”, i.e. <5%.

Question 3
Compute the percentage uncertainties in the following values.

9.79 ± 0.09 m.s–2 0.243 ± 0.008 A

(3.7 ± 0.5) × 10–6 T 16700 ± 500 lx

How big should my uncertainty be?

There is no single way to estimate the uncertainty in a measurement – it depends on how you have made
your measurement. Next, we will focus on the uncertainty in a single direct measurement, and then the
uncertainty in an average from repeated trials.

22
 – Uncertainty in direct measurements
The uncertainty in a direct measurement comes from our ability to make readings with measuring
instruments.

Digital Caliper Some measuring instruments are labelled with the accuracy or
Resolution: 0.01 mm uncertainty that you can expect when you use them. In this case,
Accuracy: ±0.02 mm ±0.02 mm.

For all other instruments, the absolute smallest uncertainty they provide is limited by the graduations
marked on them:
1
Uncertainty due to measuring instrument ± × (instrument graduation)
2

0 cm 1 2 3 4 5 6

Bar

This ruler is graduated in 1.0 cm increments. The uncertainty in direct

measurements made with this ruler would be ±0.5 cm.

In the diagram above, we can read that the bar is near to 3.0 cm (the nearest centimetre mark) but we
cannot confidently estimate the length of the bar any finer than that.
We would report this measurement as 3.0 ± 0.5 cm (notice the “.0” in the measurement – so that the
number of decimal places in the uncertainty matches).

Question 4
(a) What is the smallest uncertainty that you can expect with these instruments?

Stopwatch Milliammeter Electronic balance Protractor

± ± ± ±

(b) For the stopwatch and the electronic balance, write the reading and its uncertainty with the appropriate
number of digits.

time = mass =

23
 – Estimating larger uncertainties in direct measurements
Sometimes the markings on an instrument cannot be confidently read by
us and the uncertainty is actually larger. For example, imagine you are
attempting to measure the bounce height of a ball. The ball moves so
quickly that you cannot precisely measure to millimetre accuracy on the
adjacent ruler.
In cases like this, you will have to use your judgement – perhaps you are
only confident that you can measure to the nearest 5 cm, so your
uncertainty is half of this, ±2.5 cm.
This practice does rely on some subjectivity. If you are unsure, it is always preferable to overestimate your
uncertainty than to dishonestly claim that it is smaller.

– Uncertainty in an average of trials

Recall that conducting repeated trials and then computing an average helps to reduce random error. While
we can assume that the average is more accurate than any of the trials, there is still some uncertainty in the
average.
If there are many trials, then you might use a standard deviation as the uncertainty. However, in a school
laboratory, we often only conduct very few trials, so a shortcut – using half the range of the trials – is a
simpler alternative.

Uncertainty in average
(when there are many trials)
±1 standard deviation

Uncertainty in average highest trial − lowest trial

±
(when there are only few trials) 2

Question 5
Determine the average and uncertainty from the following sets of measurement trials.
Average and
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
uncertainty
10.12 m.s–2 8.74 m.s–2 9.37 m.s–2

Average and
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
uncertainty
77.53 mL 72.81 mL 79.22 mL

Average and
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
uncertainty
100.31 Ω 100.24 Ω 100.17 Ω

24
 7 – Using uncertainty to assess values
Recall that when we used the concept of error, an accurate measurement was one that was close to the
accepted value. However, an analysis of errors on its own does not give us a complete view of how good a
value is. Because of the randomness of some errors, there is a probability that a highly accurate/low error
value is arrived at by pure luck anyway.
We can use uncertainties to better assess the values that we obtain in experiments: small uncertainties
give an indication that measurements were made with good precision.
Comparing a measurement with an accepted value
We can say that a measurement agrees with the accepted value when the accepted value lies inside the
measurement’s uncertainty bounds. For example, when comparing the generally accepted value of
acceleration due to gravity at Earth’s surface (g = 9.8 m.s–2), a measurement of:
• 9.6 ± 0.3 m.s–2 agrees, because 9.8 m.s–2 lies inside the range of 9.3 and 9.9 m.s–2
• 9.2 ± 0.3 m.s–2 does not agree, because 9.8 m.s–2 lies outside the range of 8.9 and 9.5 m.s–2
• They are both precise because their uncertainties are less than 5% (arbitrary criteria).
agrees
9.6 ± 0.3

8.0 9.0 10.0 (m.s–2)

g
=
9.
9.2 ± 0.3 8
m
.s –
disagrees 2

The arrows point to values on the number line and the grey bars are the uncertainty
ranges. Only one of the measurements includes the accepted value.
Question 1
Do these measurements agree with the accepted values? Also, determine if they measurements are precise
(using the criteria that <5% uncertainty is high precision).

Accepted value Measurement Agrees? Precise?

9.8 m.s–2 10.1 ± 0.4 m.s–2

6.626 × 10–34 J.s (5.9 ± 0.5) × 10–34 J.s

10.0 Ω 9.4 ± 0.7 Ω

100°C 102 ± 2 °C

22.4 L 23.0 ± 0.4 L

25
 Comparing two values with uncertainties to see if they agree
Two measurements with uncertainties agree if their uncertainty ranges overlap. For example,
• 7.4 ± 0.5 s and 8.3 ± 0.7 s agree with each other because their uncertainty ranges overlap.
8.3 ± 0.7

ov
er
7.0 8.0 9.0 (s)

lap
These two values agree: they are not
distinctly different
7.4 ± 0.5

• 7.4 ± 0.4 s and 8.5 ± 0.4 s do not agree with each other – their uncertainty ranges to not overlap.
8.5 ± 0.4

7.0 8.0 9.0 (s)

These two values do not agree: they

are distinctly different
7.4 ± 0.4

Question 2
Are these pairs of measurements distinctly different to each other?

Value A Value B Agree/Do not agree

23.6 ± 0.5 kg 24.0 ± 0.5 kg

810 ± 10 s 850 ± 20 s

3490 ± 10 m 3501 ± 5 m

(6.2 ± 0.7) × 10–4 T (4.8 ± 0.6) × 10–4 T

7.22 ± 0.04 N 7.15 ± 0.04 N

Question 3
A team of sports physicists has been hired by an event organiser to verify the length of their marathon
course, which is supposed to be 42.195 km long. They use two methods – directly with a car odometer
(42.20 ± 0.05 km) and using a map (42.180 ± 0.005 km). Do the measurements agree with each other? Do
either of them agree with the required distance? Which one is more precise?

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