A pendulum's period is measured as 2.0 s with an uncertainty of ±0.1 s. What is
Practice Questions
Q1
A pendulum's period is measured as 2.0 s with an uncertainty of ±0.1 s. What is the percentage uncertainty in the measurement?
5%
10%
2%
1%
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
A pendulum's period is measured as 2.0 s with an uncertainty of ±0.1 s. What is the percentage uncertainty in the measurement?
Step 1: Identify the measured value of the pendulum's period, which is 2.0 seconds.
Step 2: Identify the uncertainty in the measurement, which is ±0.1 seconds.
Step 3: Use the formula for percentage uncertainty: Percentage uncertainty = (Uncertainty / Measured value) * 100.
Step 4: Substitute the values into the formula: (0.1 / 2.0) * 100.
Step 5: Calculate the division: 0.1 divided by 2.0 equals 0.05.
Step 6: Multiply the result by 100: 0.05 * 100 equals 5.
Step 7: Conclude that the percentage uncertainty in the measurement is 5%.
Percentage Uncertainty – The percentage uncertainty is a way to express the uncertainty of a measurement relative to the size of the measurement itself, calculated by dividing the uncertainty by the measured value and multiplying by 100.
