Physics 1: Measurements and Their Errors

43 flashcards · Physics · by TheoTyson

1. What is the metre the SI unit of?

   Length - m

2. What is the kilogram the SI unit of?

   Mass - kg

3. What is the second the SI unit of?

   Time - s

4. What is the ampere the SI unit of?

   Electrical Current - A

5. What is the kelvin the SI unit of?

   Thermodynamic Temperature - K

6. What is the mole the SI unit of?

   Amount of Substance - mol

7. What is the candela the SI unit of?

   Luminous Intensity - cd

8. What is the prefix tera in base 10?

   TTT ~ 101210^{12}1012

9. What is the prefix giga in base 10?

   GGG ~ 10910^9109

10. What is the prefix mega in base 10?

    MMM ~ 10610^6106

11. What is the prefix kilo in base 10?

    kkk ~ 10310^3103

12. What is the prefix centi in base 10?

    ccc ~ 10−210^{-2}10−2

13. What is the prefix milli in base 10?

    mmm ~ 10−310^{-3}10−3

14. What is the prefix micro in base 10?

    μ\muμ ~ 10−610^{-6}10−6

15. What is the prefix nano in base 10?

    nnn ~ 10−910^{-9}10−9

16. What is the prefix pico in base 10?

    ppp ~ 10−1210^{-12}10−12

17. What is the prefix femto in base 10?

    fff ~ 10−1510^{-15}10−15

18. What is 1 eVeVeV in JJJ ?

    1eV1 eV1eV === 1.6⋅10−191.6 \cdot 10^{-19}1.6⋅10−19 JJJ

19. What is 1 kWhkWhkWh in JJJ ?

    1kWh1kWh1kWh === 3.6⋅1063.6 \cdot 10^{6}3.6⋅106 JJJ

20. What are systematic errors?

    Errors that affect the set of measurements in the same way each time.

21. What are the causes of systematic errors?

    Poor experimental technique. Zero error on an instrument. Poor calibration of the instrument.

22. What are random errors?

    Errors that affect the set of measurements in an unpredictable fashion.

23. What are the causes of random errors?

    Human error from observations. Readability of the equipment. External effects on the measured item.

24. What is accuracy?

    How close the measurement is to the true value.

25. What is precision?

    How close the measurements are to each other.

26. What is the repeatability of an experiment?

    If measurements taken by the same person with the same equipment are consistent.

27. What is the reproducibility of an experiment?

    If measurements taken by different people with different equipment are consistent.

28. What is the resolution?

    Smallest observable change in the measured quantity.

29. What is an error?

    The difference between the measurement and true value.

30. What is the range of uncertainty?

    The range of values in which the true value is expected to lie.

31. What is absolute uncertainty?

    The range of possible values of the measurements. (Includes the same units)

32. What is fractional uncertainty?

    Absolute uncertainty /// Mean value

33. What is percentage uncertainty?

    (Absolute uncertainty / mean value ) x 100%

34. How do you calculate the absolute uncertainty of a repeated set of measurements?

    Half the range from the highest to lowest value.

35. How do you calculate the uncertainty when adding or subtracting values?

    Add the absolute uncertainties.

36. How do you calculate the uncertainty when multiplying or dividing values?

    Add the percentage uncertainties.

37. How do you calculate the uncertainty when powers are involved?

    Multiply the percentage uncertainty by the power.

38. What do error bars show?

    Represent uncertainty on a graph. The length of the bar should be the length of absolute uncertainty.

39. How do you calculate the uncertainty of a gradient?

    The maximum gradient - the minimum gradient.

40. What are the maximum and minimum gradients?

    Steepest and shallowest lines that pass inside all of the error bars.

41. What is the reading on this micrometer?

    4.83 ±±± 0.01mm

42. What is the reading on this vernier calliper?

    25.95 ±±± 0.05mm

43. What is an order of magnitude?

    A quantity being ten times bigger than the other.