A student measures the time period of a pendulum as 2.0 s with an uncertainty of
Practice Questions
Q1
A student measures the time period of a pendulum as 2.0 s with an uncertainty of ±0.1 s. What is the percentage uncertainty in the time period?
5%
10%
2.5%
1%
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
A student measures the time period of a pendulum as 2.0 s with an uncertainty of ±0.1 s. What is the percentage uncertainty in the time period?
Step 1: Identify the measured value of the time 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: (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 time period is 5%.
Percentage Uncertainty – The concept of percentage uncertainty involves calculating the uncertainty of a measurement as a percentage of the measured value, which helps in understanding the reliability of the measurement.
