A student records the time taken for a reaction as 15.0 s with an uncertainty of

A student records the time taken for a reaction as 15.0 s with an uncertainty of ±0.5 s. What is the total time range?

A student records the time taken for a reaction as 15.0 s with an uncertainty of ±0.5 s. What is the total time range?

Step 1: Identify the recorded time, which is 15.0 seconds.
Step 2: Identify the uncertainty, which is ±0.5 seconds.
Step 3: Calculate the lower limit of the time range by subtracting the uncertainty from the recorded time: 15.0 s - 0.5 s = 14.5 s.
Step 4: Calculate the upper limit of the time range by adding the uncertainty to the recorded time: 15.0 s + 0.5 s = 15.5 s.
Step 5: Combine the lower and upper limits to express the total time range: 14.5 s to 15.5 s.

Measurement and Uncertainty – Understanding how to express a measured value along with its uncertainty to determine a range of possible values.