Absolute and Relatiave Uncertainty (partial derivatives)

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating absolute and relative uncertainties using partial derivatives in the context of mathematical expressions involving variables A, B, and theta. Participants emphasize the importance of understanding how to apply partial derivatives to compute uncertainties for operations such as addition, multiplication, and trigonometric functions. The formula for absolute uncertainty is highlighted, with specific examples provided for clarity. Mastery of basic differentiation is essential for successfully completing the assigned tasks.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic calculus, specifically differentiation.
  • Familiarity with partial derivatives and their application.
  • Knowledge of uncertainty propagation in mathematical calculations.
  • Basic trigonometric functions and their derivatives.
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the concept of uncertainty propagation in physical measurements.
  • Learn how to compute partial derivatives for multivariable functions.
  • Explore the application of absolute and relative uncertainties in scientific experiments.
  • Practice differentiation techniques for trigonometric functions and their applications.
USEFUL FOR

Students in physics or engineering courses, educators teaching calculus and uncertainty analysis, and anyone involved in scientific research requiring precise measurements and calculations.

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Homework Statement



Calculate the following, expressing all results with uncertainties both in absolute and relative (percentage) form:

a) A + B

b) A x B

c) Asin(theta)

d) A^2 / Bcos(theta)


The relevant formula for the absolute uncertainty is below, but i have no idea how to use it! The teacher just sort of gave us the assignment without much explanation.. I know that it uses something called partial derivatives, could someone explain how to find that?
 

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Assuming you know how to take derivatives, a partial derivative is just holding all the other variables as constant.

So if we had z=xy and we wanted to get ∂z/∂x, we would hold 'y' constant and differentiate like normal to get ∂z/∂x = y.

For this exercise, you should at least know how to take derivatives.
 

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