A student measures the speed of a car as 60.0 km/h with an uncertainty of ±2.0 km/h. What is the percentage uncertainty in the speed measurement?

1 question

1 item

Q: A student measures the speed of a car as 60.0 km/h with an uncertainty of ±2.0 km/h. What is the percentage uncertainty in the speed measurement?

Solution: Percentage uncertainty = (absolute uncertainty / measured value) * 100 = (2.0 / 60.0) * 100 = 3.33%.

Steps: 7

Step 1: Identify the measured value of the speed of the car, which is 60.0 km/h.
Step 2: Identify the absolute uncertainty in the measurement, which is ±2.0 km/h.
Step 3: Use the formula for percentage uncertainty: (absolute uncertainty / measured value) * 100.
Step 4: Substitute the values into the formula: (2.0 / 60.0) * 100.
Step 5: Calculate the division: 2.0 divided by 60.0 equals 0.0333.
Step 6: Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage: 0.0333 * 100 equals 3.33.
Step 7: Conclude that the percentage uncertainty in the speed measurement is 3.33%.