Strange Result of Error Calculation

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion centers on an experiment involving the bending of X-Rays in crystals, specifically using a NaCl crystal with a spacing of 283 pm. The participants calculated the K_{\alpha} and K_{\beta} wavelengths as 64 pm and 72 pm, respectively, but encountered unexpectedly high error values of 100 pm. The issue was resolved by converting the error in theta from degrees to radians, resulting in a corrected error of 2.9 pm. This highlights the critical importance of unit conversion in error calculations.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the Bragg equation for X-Ray diffraction
  • Familiarity with error propagation in measurements
  • Knowledge of unit conversions, specifically between degrees and radians
  • Basic principles of crystallography and crystal structures
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the Bragg equation in detail, focusing on its applications in X-Ray diffraction
  • Research error propagation techniques in experimental physics
  • Learn about unit conversions and their significance in scientific calculations
  • Explore crystallography resources to deepen understanding of crystal structures and properties
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Students and researchers in experimental physics, particularly those involved in crystallography and X-Ray diffraction experiments, will benefit from this discussion.

Lunar_Lander
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Homework Statement



We conducted an experiment on the bending of X-Rays in crystals and determined the K_{\alpha},K_{\beta} lines of the first order and the corresponding wavelenghts of the radiation by means of the Bragg equation. We used a NaCl crystal with a d=283 pm. We determined the error of theta to be 0.3 degrees. Our two wavelenghts for the two lines were then 64 and 72 pm respectively. Inserting the respective values into the second equation given under (2) to obtain the errors, results in strange high errors, such as 100 pm.

Homework Equations



\lambda=\frac{2d \cdot \sin(\theta)}{n}
\delta\lambda=\frac{2d \cdot \cos(\theta)}{n} \cdot d\theta

The Attempt at a Solution


Comparison with a similar lab report (where the wavelenghts were 72 pm and the error of theta 0.2 degrees) showed that when I inserted their values, I also obtained errors of about 100 pm instead of the 1 pm they had obtained as a result. I cannot understand why using the same formula with the same variables gives numbers which deviate by a factor of 100.
 
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Have you converted \delta\theta to radians?
 
I now did and now I calculated the new \delta\theta=5.24~mrad. With that I get \delta\lambda=2.9~pm. Thanks!
 

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