Absolute uncertainty

To calculate the absolute uncertainty of a set of measurements, we can use the formula:

\text{absolute uncertainty} = \frac{\text{range}}{2}

Absolute uncertainty can be written like this:

\text{mean} \pm \text{absolute uncertainty}

For example, 5.0cm \pm 0.1cm means the actual value could be anywhere between 4.9cm and 5.1cm (0.1cm above or below 5.0cm).

If we wanted to express it with the average measurement, we would do:

flashcards

Question	Answer
How do you calculate the absolute uncertainty of a set of measurements?	absolute uncertainty = \frac{\text{range}}{2}
How do you express a measurement with its absolute uncertainty?	\text{mean} \pm \text{absolute uncertainty}, e.g. 5.0\text{cm} \pm 0.1\text{cm}
What is the range of the measurements 5.1cm, 5.3cm, 5.2cm, and 5.4cm?	5.4\text{cm} - 5.1\text{cm} = 0.3\text{cm}
What is the absolute uncertainty of the measurements 5.1cm, 5.3cm, 5.2cm, and 5.4cm?	\frac{0.3\text{cm}}{2} = 0.15\text{cm}, expressed as \pm0.15\text{cm}
What is the mean of the measurements 5.1cm, 5.3cm, 5.2cm, and 5.4cm?	(5.1\text{cm} + 5.3\text{cm} + 5.2\text{cm} + 5.4\text{cm}) \div 4 = 5.25\text{cm}
How do you express the measurement 5.25cm with its absolute uncertainty of 0.15cm?	5.25\text{cm} \pm 0.15\text{cm}