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MQA - 2nd Assignment: Uncertainty of An Instrument

This document discusses uncertainty in measurement. It defines uncertainty as a lack of knowledge about the true value being measured. All measurements have some uncertainty due to limitations of the measuring instruments. Analog instruments have uncertainty due to the width of graduation lines and digital instruments have uncertainty due to rounding measurements to the number of display digits. The document provides methods for determining the measurement value and uncertainty range based on the instrument's resolution. Manufacturers' specifications may provide a larger uncertainty than implied by the instrument's display resolution alone.

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Guruprasad Kancharla
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64 views7 pages

MQA - 2nd Assignment: Uncertainty of An Instrument

This document discusses uncertainty in measurement. It defines uncertainty as a lack of knowledge about the true value being measured. All measurements have some uncertainty due to limitations of the measuring instruments. Analog instruments have uncertainty due to the width of graduation lines and digital instruments have uncertainty due to rounding measurements to the number of display digits. The document provides methods for determining the measurement value and uncertainty range based on the instrument's resolution. Manufacturers' specifications may provide a larger uncertainty than implied by the instrument's display resolution alone.

Uploaded by

Guruprasad Kancharla
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MQA - 2nd Assignment

Uncertainty of an Instrument

 Introduction:
When we make a measurement, we can never be certain that the
result is exactly correct. There is always some difference between
the measured value and the actual value, no matter how careful
we are. No matter how exotic the equipment and how intelligent
the operator, there is always some uncertainty associated with any
measurement. What’s more, if we use a measured value to make a
calculation, the results of the calculation will also not be exactly
correct; they will also have some uncertainty associated with them.
This is an unavoidable part of science.

 What is Uncertainty?
The term uncertainty implies lack of knowledge.
Uncertainty: An unavoidable result of all measurement
Measurement uncertainty need not prevent measurements from
being useful. If we can quantify the uncertainty for a measurement,
that is, if we can determine the amount of uncertainty, we can still
use the measurement with confidence. We can do this by
specifying a range of values between which we are absolutely
certain the true value of our measurement lies.
For example, an engineer designing a cell phone receiver or
transmitter does not need to know the exact frequency your cell
phone transmits. They need to know a range within which they can
be certain the transmission frequency lies.

 Uncertainty of an Instrument:
Now let us discuss why uncertainty is inherent in all measurement.
Let’s look at two types of measurement devices: analog and digital
measuring devices. All measuring devices fall into one of these
categories.
Analog devices, like the meter stick, have a printed scale with
graduation lines and numbers printed next to them. Meter sticks,
tape measures, spring scales used to measure forces, triple beam
balances and liquid thermometers are all examples of analog
measuring instruments. Digital measuring instruments have an
electronic display that shows numbers – digits. Digital clocks, digital
volt meters, digital scales, and digital thermometers are all
examples of digital instruments.

For example, as seen in the above image when we use an analog


measuring device, like a meter stick, the object we are measuring
will always fall in between marks on the scale. The closer we look,
the clearer it becomes that the object we are measuring will never
align exactly with one of the graduation lines on the measuring
scale. If we look close enough, we see that the graduation lines
themselves have width, so even if the object is within the line, we
still can’t determine the length exactly. This is a limitation of all
analog measuring devices.
Digital devices are no better in this case. All digital measuring
devices are limited to a certain resolution, a certain number of digits
on the display. The device must round the measurement to the
nearest decimal to display it. This rounding process introduces
uncertainty, because when we read the device, we can’t tell what
the numbers were before rounding. No matter how many decimal
places on the display, the actual value is rounded to fit the number
of decimal places on the display. Again, this leads to uncertainty
about the actual value of the measurement.
For example, in the below image we can see four measurements of
the voltage from a battery made using a digital voltmeter. Only the
amount of rounding in each display is different
Since all measuring devices are either analog or digital, all
measurements fall prey to these problems. As a result, no one has
ever succeeded in measuring the “real” speed of light, or the “actual”
diameter of the earth, or the “exact” mass of an electron. Nor will we
know if anyone ever does, since there is some uncertainty inherent in
all measurement. To be able to use measurements effectively and
confidently, we need to be able to express the amount of uncertainty
in our measurements.

 Determining the amount of Uncertainty


in an Analog Instrument:
One of the ways to express the range of values is to use the form

X ± ΔX
X represents the Measurement value and ΔX represents the
Absolute uncertainty or the Amount of uncertainty.
Let’s see how to find the values x and Δx when we know the range of
values between which the true value of our measurement lies. The
measured, x, value falls at the midpoint of the range, that is, half way
between the highest possible value and the lowest possible value.
Similarly, Δx, is the mid-point of the range. So we can express a range
of values in x±Δx form by finding the midpoint of the range, and
finding half the width of the range.
To find the midpoint (which is also the average) add highest and
lowest possible values and divide by two.
X= Midpoint = (Highest possible value + lowest possible value)/2
To find Δx, the uncertainty, you subtract the two values and divide
by two.
Δx = Half of range= (highest possible value - lowest possible value)/2

 Relative Uncertainty:
We can compare the amount of uncertainty in two
measurements using a ratio called relative uncertainty. Relative
uncertainty is the amount of uncertainty divided by the total
amount of the measurement, that is
Amount of Uncertainty
Relative uncertainty =
Amount of Measurement

Relative Uncertainty = (ΔX/X)

 Determining the amount of uncertainty


in a digital instrument:
Because the display on a digital instrument shows clearly the numbers
of the measurement, it seems like they are less prone to uncertainty
than analog measuring instruments. However, all digital instruments
have inherent uncertainty due to a limited number of digits that can
be shown on the instrument display. The smallest numerical gradation
that can be shown on a digital display is called the resolution. The
internal circuitry must round the measurement so that it fits the
number of digits on the display. This rounding process introduces
uncertainty because when we read the display, we can never know
what the next digit would have been without rounding.
Here is an example. The display on the scale at right is rounded to the
nearest gram. The actual unrounded value could be anywhere
between 242.5 and 243.5 grams. We say that this digital scale has a
resolution of 1 gram. This range of possible values is shown on the
number line below.

We can use the method from the previous section to find the mid-
point and uncertainty, but there is a shortcut. We know by looking at
the number line that 243, the actual scale reading, is the mid-point. In
addition, we know that the maximum amount by which the scale
reading could be off is half of the value of the last decimal place
shown. If it were off by more than that, the reading would be rounded
to show a different value. In this case, the last decimal place shown is
the grams decimal place, so the maximum by which we could be off is
half a gram, or 0.5 grams. So the scale reading is 243 ±0.5 grams.
 Determining Uncertainty of an Instrument
using manufacturer’s specifications:
In some cases, the uncertainty of a measurement from a digital or
analog measuring instrument can be greater than what we’d find
using these methods. In many cases, the instrument’s resolution is
better than its accuracy. That is, we can often read values from the
display or scale that seem to have more certainty than the instrument
can reliably provide.
Digital automobile speedometers are one example. The display often
shows the car’s speed to the nearest mile per hour, that is the
resolution is 1 mile per hour. However, the speed displayed may be
off by greater than 1 mile per hour, because car speedometers are not
very accurate. In some cases, we can consult the specification of the
measurement device and see that the uncertainty of a measurement
is greater than the uncertainty we’d assume by reading the display.

-K D G KALI PRASAD
(BT15MEC036)

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