A student measures the mass of an object as 200 g with an uncertainty of ±2 g. W
Practice Questions
Q1
A student measures the mass of an object as 200 g with an uncertainty of ±2 g. What is the relative uncertainty?
1%
0.5%
2%
0.1%
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
A student measures the mass of an object as 200 g with an uncertainty of ±2 g. What is the relative uncertainty?
Step 1: Identify the measured value, which is 200 g.
Step 2: Identify the uncertainty, which is ±2 g.
Step 3: Use the formula for relative uncertainty: (Uncertainty / Measured value) * 100.
Step 4: Substitute the values into the formula: (2 g / 200 g) * 100.
Step 5: Calculate the division: 2 / 200 = 0.01.
Step 6: Multiply the result by 100: 0.01 * 100 = 1%.
Step 7: The relative uncertainty is 1%.
Relative Uncertainty – Relative uncertainty is a measure of the uncertainty of a measurement in relation to the size of the measurement itself, expressed as a percentage.
Measurement Uncertainty – Understanding how to quantify the uncertainty associated with a measurement is crucial for accurate scientific reporting.