Module 1: Development of practical skills in physics Flashcards
What is accuracy?
How close a measurement is to the true value.
What is precision?
How close the measurements are to each other.
How can accuracy be increased?
Accuracy can be increased by using a measuring instrument with a higher resolution, repeating measurements and calculating a mean, or by measuring a larger quantity to reduce percentage uncertainty.
What is a random error?
Random errors are readings scattered about the true value and can be eliminated by averaging.
What is a systematic error?
Systematic errors are constant errors in all measurements and can’t be eliminated by averaging.
When adding quantities A and B, what is the uncertainty?
Uᴀ + Uʙ
When multiplying or dividing quantities A and B by each other, what is the percentage uncertainty?
%Uᴀ + %Uʙ
When raising a quantity, A, by a power of n, what is the percentage uncertainty?
n(%Uᴀ)
What is the uncertainty of a range of values?
range/2
What is the uncertainty of the gradient of a line?
(LOBF-LOWF)/2
