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Unit 3 Practical Skills

Unit 3 of the Physics I course focuses on practical skills, emphasizing the importance of reproducibility, precision, accuracy, and uncertainty in measurements. It outlines types of uncertainties, methods for calculating and reducing them, and distinguishes between errors, including systematic, random, and parallax errors. The document also highlights common limitations in experimental procedures and provides examples for calculating uncertainties.

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25 views23 pages

Unit 3 Practical Skills

Unit 3 of the Physics I course focuses on practical skills, emphasizing the importance of reproducibility, precision, accuracy, and uncertainty in measurements. It outlines types of uncertainties, methods for calculating and reducing them, and distinguishes between errors, including systematic, random, and parallax errors. The document also highlights common limitations in experimental procedures and provides examples for calculating uncertainties.

Uploaded by

padullaparthisatyadeep
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Unit 3 practical skills

in Physics I
Topics in Unit 3
Unit 1 Mechanics + Materials Unit 2 Waves + Electricity

Core practical 1-3 Core practical 4-8


Key terms
1. Reproducible:

For the findings of a study to be reproducible


means that results obtained by an
experiment or an observational study or in a
statistical analysis of a data set should be
achieved again with a high degree of
reliability when the study is replicated.
Precision and accuracy
Accuracy means how close a value is to the
standard result. Whereas precision means how
close the results are with respect to each other.

The precision and accuracy of the measurement


are independent of each other. A precise
measurement is not always accurate and vice
versa.

A set of data that has the least uncertainty when it


is both precise and accurate.
1. Uncertainty
The uncertainty is a range of values around a measurement within which the true value
is expected to lie, and is an estimate.

● For example, if the true value of the mass of a box is 950 g, but a systematic error
with a balance gives an actual reading of 952 g, the uncertainty is ±2 g

In reality, it is impossible to obtain the true value of any quantity as there will always
be a degree of uncertainty

● This can be seen when you repeat a measurement and you often get different
results

Uncertainties are not the same as errors


Types of uncertainties
1. Absolute Uncertainty: where uncertainty is given as a fixed quantity
2. Fractional Uncertainty: where uncertainty is given as a fraction of the
measurement
3. Percentage Uncertainty: where uncertainty is given as a percentage of the
measurement → no units!
Finding uncertainties
1. The uncertainty in a reading:
± half the smallest division
2. The uncertainty in a measurement:
at least ±1 smallest division
3. The uncertainty in repeated data (e.g. the mean):
half the range i.e. ± ½ (largest - smallest value)
4. The uncertainty in digital readings:
± the last significant digit unless otherwise quoted
IAL Edexcel exam requirements
In Edexcel International A level, the uncertainty should be stated to at least one
few significant figures than the data but no more than the significant figures of
the data.

For example, the uncertainty of a value of 12.0 which is calculated to be 1.204 can
be stated as 12.0 ± 1.2 or 12.0 ± 1.20. (not 12.0 ± 1.204)
Uncertainties in readings

Note: Always make sure your absolute or


percentage uncertainty is to the same number
of significant figures as the reading
To reduce uncertainty
● The most common ways to reduce uncertainties are:
○ Take repeat readings (about 3 – 5) and calculate the mean of a value
○ For a wire, measure the diameter in different places, to make sure it's
fully uniform
○ Use the appropriate piece of apparatus for the measurement e.g., do not
use a ruler for a very small distance of a few mm, a micrometer or
vernier scale would be better for this
Worked example 1
A student measures the potential difference on an analogue voltmeter with resolution 0.2 V
as 15 V.

Calculate the percentage uncertainty in the student's reading of the potential difference.
Worked example 2
A student achieves the following results in their experiment for the angular frequency, ω.
0.154, 0.153, 0.159, 0.147, 0.152
Calculate the percentage uncertainty in the mean value of ω.
Sample question
Combining uncertainties 1
Combining uncertainties 2
Combining uncertainties 3
2. Error
● An error is the difference between the measurement result and the true value
if a true value is thought to exist
○ This is not a mistake in the measurement
○ The error can be due to both systematic and random effects and an error
of unknown size is a source of uncertainty.
○ They can be thought of as issues with equipment or methodology that
cause a reading to be different from the true value
● Three types of error:
1. Systematic error
2. Random error
3. Parallax error
2.1 Systematic error
● Systematic errors arise from the use of faulty instruments or from flaws in the
experimental method
● This type of error is repeated consistently every time the instrument is used or the
method is followed, which affects the accuracy of all readings obtained
● An example of a systematic error is a zero error: a measuring system gives
a false reading when the true starting value is zero
2.1 Systematic error
Systematic errors can clearly be seen
on graphs.

If the line of best fit of a straight-line


graph is expected to go through the
origin (0,0) but the results collected
actually pass through the y or x axis
instead, then all the points are offset
by the same amount.

The amount they are offset by is the


amount of systematic errors.
To reduce systematic error

● Instruments should be recalibrated, or different instruments should be used


● Corrections or adjustments should be made to the technique
2.2 Random error
● Reducing errors in an experiment is vital for obtaining more accurate results
● Even if the experimental result is close to the true value, there are always
potential limitations of experimental methods such as the presence of
random errors:
Unpredictable changes in an experiment causing one measurement to differ
slightly from the next, after precision
● Random errors cannot be completely removed but their effect can be reduced
by taking as many repeats as possible and using the average of the repeats
2.3 Parallax error
● Parallax error is minimised by reading the value on
a scale only when the line of sight is perpendicular
to the scale readings (i.e.. at eye level)

● Examples of where parallax error is common are:


a. Determining the volume of liquid
b. Making sure two objects are aligned
c. Reading the temperature from a thermometer
3. Identify common limitations to procedures
● Parallax error when reading scales
● Not repeating measurements to reduce random errors
● Not checking for zero errors to reduce systematic errors
● The equipment not working properly or not checking beforehand with small
tests
● Equipment with poor precision and resolution (eg. using a ruler over a
micrometer)
● Difficult to control variables (eg. the temperature of the classroom)
● Unwanted heating effects eg. in circuits

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