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    Activity 1 (Activity Guide)

    Uploaded by

    Ronel Alban
    This document provides instructions for an activity to measure the distance between two parallel lines using different measuring devices. Students will use a ruler, meter stick, and tape measure to take multiple measurements of the distance. They will then calculate the mean and standard deviation of the measurements to determine accuracy and the types of errors present. Questions at the end ask students to analyze the errors, how to reduce them, and which measuring device is more appropriate given the context.

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    Activity 1 (Activity Guide)

    Uploaded by

    Ronel Alban
    120 views3 pages
    This document provides instructions for an activity to measure the distance between two parallel lines using different measuring devices. Students will use a ruler, meter stick, and tape measure to take multiple measurements of the distance. They will then calculate the mean and standard deviation of the measurements to determine accuracy and the types of errors present. Questions at the end ask students to analyze the errors, how to reduce them, and which measuring device is more appropriate given the context.

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    This document provides instructions for an activity to measure the distance between two parallel lines using different measuring devices. Students will use a ruler, meter stick, and tape measure to take multiple measurements of the distance. They will then calculate the mean and standard deviation of the measurements to determine accuracy and the types of errors present. Questions at the end ask students to analyze the errors, how to reduce them, and which measuring device is more appropriate given the context.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    120 views3 pages

    Activity 1 (Activity Guide)

    Uploaded by

    Ronel Alban
    This document provides instructions for an activity to measure the distance between two parallel lines using different measuring devices. Students will use a ruler, meter stick, and tape measure to take multiple measurements of the distance. They will then calculate the mean and standard deviation of the measurements to determine accuracy and the types of errors present. Questions at the end ask students to analyze the errors, how to reduce them, and which measuring device is more appropriate given the context.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    ACTIVITY GUIDE

    Activity 1: Measurements
    (modified from the Physics Experiments in Mechanics, Reina & Monahan 2004)

    I. Introduction

    To be a good scientist and explorer of nature, one must be able to make


    measurements of all the physical quantities as precisely and accurately as
    possible. While precision takes the closeness of a measurement against other
    measurements, accuracy can be measured by some dtatistical formulas- the
    standard deviation and standard error.

    In the context of scientific method, error does not necessarily mean that an
    experimenter has made a mistake in the activity, rather, it gives an overview
    of how the limits of the measuring device(s) used and the ability to measure
    (e.g the ability to see sharply) serves as constraints. The use of standard error
    is another way of establishing the so- called “degree of accuracy” of the
    measurement in the experiment.

    In this activity, you will determine the distance between two parallel lines. It
    may seem too simple. However, the objective is to learn how to measure as
    accurately as possibl using the availablr devices. Moreover, this activity
    serves as the beginning towards learning the correct usage of significant
    figures.

    II. Materials & Equipment


    ruler meter stick tape measure
    2 sheets of bondpaper tape
    pencil/pen

    III. Procedure
    1. Draw a straight line (using a ruler) with a thin- tipped pencil or pen on each
    of the two paper.
    2. Tape the papers on the table about half- meter apart. Make sure that the
    papers are fixed.
    3. Now, you’ll measure the distance between the lines, but don’t align a mark
    in the meter stick with the lines on the paper. Do it this way so that you will
    estimate the last digit of each measurement.
    a. Read the position of the line on the meter stick to the ten thousandth
    of a meter, estimating the last digits between two lines. The reading
    should have four digits to the right of the decimal (in meters) : ex.
    0.1234m. The last digit (4th to the right of a decimal) is the limit at
    which a pair of good eyes can read in a particular measuring device
    that has millimiter divisions as its smallest markings.

    b. Record the reading on Table 1 for the line on the left as XL and for the
    right at XR.

    c. Make the measurements independently for each other to reduce


    systematic errors.

    d. Move the meter stick to a new position (that is use a different XL and
    XR), once again making certain not to align the line of the paper with a
    scale marking and then take new readings.

    4. Repeat the measurement process in the same way until a total of five
    measurements of the distance between the lines have been completed.

    5. Repeat steps 1-4 using a tape measure, however, record your results in
    Table 2.

    IV. Questions for Discussion

    1. Among the types of errors, which particular experimental error(s) is/are


    evident in this activity? Give a specific instance at which the error possibly
    existed.

    2. How can the type of error determined in question no.1 be reduced and/or
    minimized?

    3.What determines the number of significant figures in reporting


    measurement values? What would be the effect of reporting more or fewer
    figures or digits than are significant?

    4. What is the statistical significance of one standard deviation? Two


    standard deviations?

    5. In context, which of the two- meter stick and tape measure, is more
    appropriate to use? Why?
    Synopsis of Formulae for Statistical Error

    1) Arithmetic Mean (𝑿 ̅)
    of a series of measurements Xi is defined by :

    2) Standard Deviation
    of the quantities x are obtained by the following equation:

    Then, the standard deviation of the mean or “standard error”, 𝜎𝑥̅ is

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