Experiment 1: Errors, Uncertainty and Measurements

Laboratory Report

Dennelyne Grace F. Soriano, Phil Justine C. Soriano,

Tristin Jahaira T. Soriano, Paz Eugenedil I. Soringa
Abstract familiarize the use of vernier caliper and
micrometer caliper and compare the accuracy
This experiment compared and of the devices
explored errors, uncertainties in measuring the
dimensions and height of the sphere and the 2. Theory
cylinder through the use of three devices. The
three instruments used are the ruler, vernier In measuring, mistakes or errors can
caliper, and the micrometer caliper. At the end happen due to incorrect calculations due to
of the experiment, results showed that the improper use of a formula. In every measuring
vernier caliper produced the least % error and instrument, there is a certain amount of
gave the most accurate measurement among uncertainty in it. One rule is that the
the three measuring devices while the uncertainty of a measuring device is 50%. One
micrometer caliper gave the most precise example that is used in the experiment is a
measurement. Vernier caliper which it has a 0.01 least count.
In computing for a certain
1. Introduction measurement, one should always follow a
certain formula in order to get its accurate
Physics is defined to be the study of measurement.
energy and forces. As science evolves, new
and various discoveries, theories and equations In computing for the volume of a
have been produced which explain events cylinder, the formula is:
around us. This is because of the recorded
measurements.
The purpose of measurement is to
provide information about a quantity. All
measurements have errors. There are two
different types of errors. They are referred to
as precision and accuracy. A measurement is
precise if it obtains similar results with
repeated measurement. A measurement is
accurate if it is close to the truth with repeated
measurement.
In this experiment, students are
expected to: (1) study errors and how they
propagate in simple experiments (2)
 In computing for the volume of a diameter, height, and mass was measured on
sphere, the formula is: both the metal sphere and metal cylinder.
4. Results and Discussion
Table 1. Using a ruler

Object Dimensions in cm

Sphere d = 1.60 cm

Cylinder d = 1.30 cm h = 5.00 cm

When measuring objects with different
devices, it may result to minimal errors. The
approximate percentage if the value from its
original value is called the Percent Error. It Table 2. Using a Vernier caliper
determines the difference between a measured
value, or also called as the Experimental value, Object Dimensions in cm
and the known value, more commonly known
Sphere d = 1.58 cm
as the Theoretical value. The formula for the
Percent Error is: Cylinder d = 1.24 cm h = 5.08 cm

Table 3. Using a micrometer caliper

Object Dimensions in cm

Sphere d = 1.619 cm

Cylinder d = 1.207 cm h = 5.08 cm

3. Methodology

The group used a foot rule, micrometer

caliper, Vernier caliper, gram balance, metal
cylinder and a metal sphere. The group used
three different measuring materials ( foot rule,
micrometer caliper, Vernier caliper) to
compare their accuracy and the objects to be
measured are a metal cylinder and a metal
sphere. Gram balance was also used to get the
mass of the objects. The group used different
formulas in getting the difference between the
measurements of the given tools. The
 ruler gave us the highest number of percent

Objec Type Mass Volume (cm3) Computed Density Theoret Percent Error
t of (g) (g/cm3) ical
Materi Density
al R VC MC R VC MC (g/cm3) R VC MC

Spher Iron 16.2 g 2.14 2.06 2.22 7.57 7.86 7.30 7.87 4% 0.1% 7%
e cm3 cm3 cm3 g/cm g/cm g/cm3
3 3
g/cm3

Cylin alumi 16.3 g 6.63 6.13 5.81 2.46 2.66 2.81 2.70 9% 1% 4%
der num cm3 cm3 cm3 g/cm g/cm g/cm3
3 3
g/cm3

error and the vernier

Table 4. Determining the density

Table 1-3 shows the comparison of

caliper gave us the lowest number of percent
initial values obtained from using the ruler,
error.
vernier caliper and micrometer caliper; Table
4 shows subsequent values obtained through
computation. 5. Conclusion
We used the measurements we got
A vernier caliper and a micrometer
from the first three tables using the ruler,
caliper are devices that are used to measure
vernier caliper and micrometer caliper to
internal and external distances more precisely.
compute for the density in the last table. We
However, it takes an effort to get the precise
computed using the constant formula for the
and accurate measurements desired. In order to
volume, computed density, theoretical density,
get the desired measurements of the objects by
and percent error. The vernier caliper gave us
using a ruler, a vernier caliper and micrometer
the least number of percent error. It gave us a
caliper, the object must be placed properly
0.1% error after measuring the sphere, and a
before reading the measurement and that
1% error after measuring the cylinder. We got
estimations, when needed, must be precise and
7% and 4% error after measuring the sphere
sensible. We have to calibrate the instruments
and the cylinder consecutively using the
like the micrometer caliper before we start
micrometer caliper. We got a 4% and a 9%
measuring because there is a greater chance of
error after measuring the sphere and the
having a higher rate of percentage error if we
cylinder consecutively using the ruler. The
do not check its calibration. The micrometer
caliper gives a more precise measurement than
the ruler and the vernier caliper, but the vernier
caliper gives a more accurate measurement.
We therefore conclude that the instruments we
used are great measuring tools because they
have precision and accuracy.
6. Application
Post Laboratory Questions
1. Which among the three measuring
devices give you the least % error?
Is the accuracy of a measurement
affected by the least count of the
measuring device?
- Among the three measuring
devices, the vernier caliper gives us
the least % error which has an error
of 0.1% on the sphere and 1% on
the cylinder. The accuracy of a
measurement is greatly affected by
the least count of the measuring
device because it provides the
extent of the device to read the
most accurate measurement of an
object. Although the expected
result to have the least % error is
the micrometer caliper for it
produces the measurement with the
least amount of uncertainty.
2. What do you mean by error? What
are the types of errors? What are
the errors you encountered in this
experiment?
- Error, as defined by
dictionary.com, is the
difference between the
observed or approximately
determined value and the true
value of a quantity. There are
three types of errors according
to the website
physics.nmsu.edu: systematic
errors, random errors, and
blunders. Systematic errors
are due to identified causes and
can, in principle, be
eliminated. Errors of this type
results in measured values that
are consistently too high or
consistently too low.
Systematic errors may be of
four kinds: instrumental,
observational, environmental
and theoretical. Random errors
are positive and negative
fluctuations that cause about
one-half of the measurement to
be too high and one-half to be
too low. Sources of random
errors cannot be always
identified. Possible sources of
random errors are:
Observational and
Environmental. A blunder is an
outright mistake. A person
may record a wrong value,
misread a scale, forget a digit
when reading a scale or
recording a measurement, or
make similar blunder. The
group committed all kinds of
error. The micrometer caliper
was not calibrated which
resulted to the measured value
as too high but there was also
an error in judgement of the
observer to read the scale of the
measuring device.
 3. Sketch
a.) vernier caliper that reads 3.48cm
b.) a micrometer caliper that reads 7.05mm
4. A student weigh himself using a
bathroom scale calibrated in
kilograms. He reported his weight
in pounds. What is the percentage
error in his reported weight if he
uses this conversion: 1 kg = 2.2
pounds? The standard kilogram is
equal to 2.2046 pounds.
% Error = |Theoretical Value - Experimental Value| X
100
- quantity of some dry measure, such
Theoretical Value
= |2.2046 –
2.2| X 100
2.2046
= 0.2 %
5. Give other parts of the body that are
being used for measurements even
today. What are some properties to
be a standard of measurement?
- The expression foot-long means “a
foot (12 inches) in length.” Cubit,
from Latin cubitum, “the elbow.”
A cubit was a measurement based
on the forearm from elbow to
fingertip. The exact length varied
according to whose arm was being
used and could be from 18 to 22
inches. Digit, In Latin, digitus
could mean either “finger” or
“toe.” The same is true of digit in
modern English. People use the
digits of their hands to count to ten.
Fathom, Old English faethm, was
“the length of the outstretched
arm” about six feet. Water depth is
measured in fathoms. Miners use
the term to describe an area equal
to six square feet. Hairbreadth,
according to the Online Etymology
Dictionary, is said to have once
been a formal unit of measure equal
to one-forty-eighth of an inch. A
“hand” was a measurement of three
inches, but now it is four inches.
This measurement is still used to
reckon the height of horses.
Handful is an indeterminate
 as grain, that can be held in the http://www.dailywritingtips.com/body-parts-
cupped hand. A Greek word for as-tools-of-measurement/
“handful” is the origin of the Greek
coin called a drachma. Span, in Old N.M.S.U. (nd). Types of experimental
English, was “the distance between errors. Retrieved from the World Wide Web
the thumb and little finger of an on February 5, 2017.
extended hand,” roughly nine [http://www.physics.nmsu.edu/research/lab11
inches. Again, it all depended on 0g/html/ERRORS.html]
whose hand. Thumb was probably
the basis of the measurement now Lepla Org. (nd). Errors and Statistics:
called an inch. The expression rule Instrument uncertainty and least count.
of thumb probably originated with Retrieved from the World Wide Web on
carpenters who used their thumbs February 5, 2017.
to take rough measurements. [http://www.lepla.org/en/modules/Activities/p
Precision and accuracy are some 04/p04-error4.htm]
properties to be a standard of
measurements. Winokur, M. (2005, 08 30). Errors and
Uncertainties. Retrieved from
http://badger.physics.wisc.edu/lab/manual/no
de4.html

7. References

Maddox, M. (2014). Body parts as

tools for measurement. Retrieved from