1 - Measurements and their Errors

Question 1

What is an Independent Variable?

Answer 1

the thing that you change in a experiment

Question 2

What is a Dependent Variable?

Answer 2

the thing that you measure in an experiment

Question 3

What is a Control variable?

Answer 3

the things that are kept constant in an experiment

Question 4

Name the types of Errors…

Answer 4

Random, Systematic

Question 5

What is a systematic error?

Answer 5

errors when each reading is different to the true value by the same amount (they shift all of your measurements).

Question 6

What is a Random error?

Answer 6

errors where readings are spread about the true value due to the results varying in an unpredictable way.

Question 7

How can you reduce systematic errors?

Answer 7

Calibrate your apparatus by measuring a known value.

Question 8

What is a Zero error?

Answer 8

when apparatus fails to read zero when it should, causing a systematic error.

Question 9

How would you reduce uncertainty in a measurement?

Answer 9

Repeat measurements several times.

Question 10

How would you estimate the true value and uncertainty from a graph or table of information?

Answer 10

Find the mean of the results to give the true value.

Find half the range of the measurements to give the uncertainty.