Undergrad Reported uncertainties for time and distance in physics experiment

Click For Summary
The discussion centers on the reported uncertainties for time and distance measurements in a physics lab manual. It questions why different uncertainty values are presented for time measurements taken with the same stopwatch, suggesting they should be uniform due to instrumental consistency. The conversation also addresses the calculation of relative uncertainties for distance, proposing that they should reflect half the least count of the measuring instrument. Additionally, there is confusion regarding larger uncertainties that exceed 1, prompting inquiries about their calculation methods. The impact of human reaction time versus mechanical timing on measurement accuracy is also highlighted.
fog37
Messages
1,566
Reaction score
108
TL;DR
Reported uncertainties for time and distance in physics experiment used to create error bars in scatterplot
Hello,
I was looking at my physics lab manual... There is a table reporting time and distance data which were both measured and collected (see below). My understanding is that the uncertainty for different and measured time instants should be the same because the time was measured with the same instrument (say a stopwatch) which determines the instrumental uncertainty. However, the 3rd column shows different uncertainty values for different ##t## values.. The manual does not explain why. Those different uncertainties could be relative uncertainties, i.e. the instrument uncertainty divided by the measured value...
Same goes for the distance: if we used a meter stick, the conservative uncertainty should be half the least count, i.e. 0.5 mm or 0.05cm. So the 4th column is the relative uncertainty.

These relative uncertainties are used to create error bars...Is that a good and standard procedure?

1702579551262.png


1702579581255.png


Another table I found shows uncertainties that are bigger than 1 and are different for different t values (same goes for distance). How are those uncertainties calculated?

1702580201674.png
 

Attachments

  • 1702580196604.png
    1702580196604.png
    11.3 KB · Views: 111
Physics news on Phys.org
fog37 said:
My understanding is that the uncertainty for different and measured time instants should be the same because the time was measured with the same instrument (say a stopwatch) which determines the instrumental uncertainty.
So, is the stopwatch clicked by a mechanical device with only slight lag time variations or by a human with, depending on the length of time, enormously varying lag times?
 
Thread 'What is the pressure of trapped air inside this tube?'
As you can see from the picture, i have an uneven U-shaped tube, sealed at the short end. I fill the tube with water and i seal it. So the short side is filled with water and the long side ends up containg water and trapped air. Now the tube is sealed on both sides and i turn it in such a way that the traped air moves at the short side. Are my claims about pressure in senarios A & B correct? What is the pressure for all points in senario C? (My question is basically coming from watching...

Similar threads

  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
1K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
5K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
1K
  • · Replies 0 ·
Replies
0
Views
4K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
3K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
4K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
4K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K