- #1
ehilge
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Homework Statement
This isn't actually a problem I came across in a textbook, but close enough. Let's say I have a rod made of n sections. Each section has a 3-simga manufacturing uncertainty of +/- some value normally distributed about the mean. What is the uncertainty of the final length of the assembled rod?
Homework Equations
Root-sum-square equation
The Attempt at a Solution
My thought is to simply plug in each of the uncertainties into the root-sum-square equation to get the final uncertainty on the length of the assembles rod. I'm not entirely confident in this as I only ever recall that equation being applied to measurements, although I see this problem as being analogous. Assuming, the equation does apply, does the final answer maintain the 3-sigma uncertainty on the length of the rod?