Columbia University PHYSICS LABORATORY TUTORIAL

Contents > 1. > 2. How to Estimate Errors > 2.1. Errors when Reading Scales > 2.2. Errors of Digital Instruments > 2.3. Standard Deviation > 2.4. Histograms > 2.5. Exercises > 3. > 4. > 5.

2.5. Exercises

Usus magister est optimus. In other words, experience is the best teacher. Below are exercises covering the material in this chapter. After you make your selections, click "Submit" to see the answers.

In a ballistic pendulum experiment, suppose the digital timer shows 0.02 s for the time of flight of the projectile. The manufacturer information about the precision of the timer is nowhere to be found. What error would you quote on your measurement?
0.002 s
0.005 s
0.01 s
In a projectile motion experiment suppose you have the following series of measurements of the distance x traveled by the projectile: 30 cm, 32 cm, 29 cm, 28 cm, 31 cm. The mean value is therefore 30 cm. What is the error (standard deviation) of the result?
0.8 cm
1 cm
1.4 cm
2 cm
Suppose you counted the number of people in line each time you came to your favorite coffee shop last month. Here are the results of your investigation.
Number of people012345678910
Occurrences 13345854321
What is the error determined by the 2/3 rule?
1.7
2
2.5
3
3.5
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