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Error Analysis in The Chemistry Laboratory

This document discusses error analysis in chemistry experiments. There are two types of errors: systematic errors due to flaws in design/equipment that make measurements inaccurate, and random errors that can't be corrected but impact precision. To analyze errors, experiments should be replicated to determine reproducibility (precision) using calculations of average and standard deviation. Sources of random error should be identified to understand their contribution to observed random error.

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Caryl Alvarado Silang
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84 views1 page

Error Analysis in The Chemistry Laboratory

This document discusses error analysis in chemistry experiments. There are two types of errors: systematic errors due to flaws in design/equipment that make measurements inaccurate, and random errors that can't be corrected but impact precision. To analyze errors, experiments should be replicated to determine reproducibility (precision) using calculations of average and standard deviation. Sources of random error should be identified to understand their contribution to observed random error.

Uploaded by

Caryl Alvarado Silang
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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Error Analysis in the Chemistry Laboratory1

The goal in the Chemistry laboratory is to obtain reliable results while realizing that there are
errors inherent in any laboratory technique. Some laboratory errors are more obvious than others.
Replication of a particular experiment allows an analysis of the reproducibility (precision) of a
measurement, while using different methods to perform the same measurement allows a gauge of
the truth of the data (accuracy).
There are two types of experimental error: systematic error and random error. Systematic error
arises from a flaw in experimental design or equipment and can be detected and corrected. This
type of error leads to inaccurate measurements of the true value. On the other hand, random error
is always present and cannot be corrected. An example of random error is that which arises from
reading a burette, which is somewhat subjective and therefore varies with the person making the
reading. This type of error impacts the precision, or reproducibility, of a measurement. The goal
in a chemistry experiment is to eliminate systematic error and minimize random error to obtain a
high degree of both accuracy and precision.
Expression of experimental results is best done after replicate trials that report the average of
the measurements (the mean) and the size of the uncertainty (the standard deviation of the trials).
For a series of n trials, xi, the average, x, and the standard deviation of the trials, sx are
calculated using:
n n

∑ xi ∑( xi -x ) 2

i=1 i=1
x = n sx = n-1
Excel easily calculates both. The standard deviation of the trials reflects the precision of the
measurements. Whenever possible, you should provide a quantitative estimate of the precision of
your measurements by reporting both the mean and standard deviation of your data. Sometimes
it is most useful to report the relative uncertainty, which compares the size of the absolute
uncertainty to the size of the associated measurements (the mean). The accuracy is often
estimated by comparing your experimental mean to a literature value. This measure is often just
called the experimental error. The percent relative experimental error is then:
⎛mean - literature⎞
percent relative experimental error = ⎜ literature ⎟ x100%
⎝ ⎠
The percent relative standard deviation can be calculated as follows:
⎛standard deviation⎞
percent relative standard deviation = ⎜ mean ⎟ x 100%
⎝ ⎠
You should then reflect upon and discuss the possible sources of random error in your
measurements that contribute to the observed random error. Sources of random error will differ
depending on the specific experimental techniques used. Some examples might include reading a
burette, the error tolerance for laboratory balances, etc. Sources of random error do not include
calculation error (a systematic error that can be corrected), mistakes in making solutions (also a
systematic error), or your lab partner (who might be saying the same thing about you!).
1. Material herein taken from Quantitative Chemical Analysis, 5 th Edition (1999), D. C. Harris and Chemistry, 5th
Edition (2000) by S. S. Zumdahl and S. A. Zumdahl.

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