Unit 1: Physical Quantities and

Measurements
Name: Cyrille Pasahol
Stem12-St. Thomas Aquinas

Check Your Understanding

A. Identify the term(s) being described in each item.

Significant Figures
1. It is used to indicate any uncertainty in measurement if the
Uncertainties uncertainty is not explicitly stated.
2. It quantifies the doubt that exists in any reported
Accuracy measurement value.
3. It describes how close the measured value is from the ‘true’

Precision value.
4. It describes the scatter or the variability of the
measurements made.
Arithmetic Mean
5. It is the sum of all the measured values divided by the
number of times the measurement is done.
Standard Deviation
6. It indicates how different a specific value is from the average
of a set of measurements.

1.3. Uncertainties and Deviations in Measurement 21

 Errors
7. It affects the value of the uncertainty during measurement.
8. This symbol is used to report any uncertainty in the
measurement.
Half Division 9. It is the highest precision that can be achieved in an
analog device.
Last Digit 10. It is the basis for estimating the precision of a digital device.

B. Write true if the statement is correct. Otherwise, write false.

False
1. High precision always implies high accuracy.
True
2. When measurement values are very close to each other, it
is accurate.
False 3. When measurement values are close to the true value, it
is precise.
True
4. The larger the standard deviation, the more the values are
spread from the average.
True 5. The more measurements you have, the more you will get
an ideal estimate of the mean or average.
 C. Solve the following problems using the concept of uncertainty,
mean, and standard deviation.

1. Give the range of values for the length of a book if it is reported as 120 mm ± 2 mm.

2. Provide the range of values if a resistor is reported to have a resistance of 35 ohms

± 15%.

Answer: ±0.05
3. Calculate the arithmetic mean of the following set of values: 15 g, 9 g, 8 g, 13 g, 12
g, 10 g, and 11 g.
Answer: 11.14 g
4. What is the speed of a car in the third reading (in m/s) if the first two readings are
55 km/h and 22 m/s and have an average speed of 25 m/s?
Answer: 37.72 in m/s

5. Groups A and B measured the distance traveled by a toy car in one of their
laboratory experiments. Group A recorded the following distances: 5.4 m, 4.5 m, 5.0
m, 6.5 m, 3.2 m, and 5.0 m. Group B recorded the following distances using a
similar setup: 5.5 m, 5.0 m, 5.1 m, 4.8 m, 4.9 m, and 5.4 m. Which group has a
higher standard deviation?

Answer: The stardard deviation for Group A is 0.96 and for Group B is 0.25.
Group A Has a higher standard deviation.
Challenge Yourself

A. Answer the questions briefly. Show your solution, if necessary.(Solutions were at the
end of the answer sheet)

1. A new stopwatch was used during the practice of a high school track. Its manual
indicates that it has an uncertainty of ± 0.05 s. Members of the sprint teams
regularly practice their 100-m sprints ranging from 12.49 s to 16.01 s. They are
planning to beat the school’s last track meet record, wherein the first place has a
record of 13.04 s while the second place has a record of 13.07 s. Will the new
stopwatch help in timing the sprint team? Defend your answer.

2. A list of the prevailing prices (in Philippine peso) for diesel in Quezon City for
January 2020 and January 2019 is listed below. Calculate and compare their
standard deviations.

Date Petron Shell Caltex Unioil Seaoil Total

January 2020 40.70 43.15 43.20 40.70 42.25 41.00

January 2019 33.80 33.50 33.45 34.15 33.70 33.95

Answer: The Standard Deviation in January 2020 P 1.01, while in

January 2019, the Standard Deviation is P0.37. In comparisson to January
2019, the price of diesel in Quezon city is higher in January 2020.

B. Answer the questions in two to three sentences only.

1. Is a pH of 5.76 both more accurate and precise than a pH of 6.8? Why? Why not?
Answer: For me pH 5.76 is not more accurate and precise. And it is because it
is not close to the standard pH which is 7.
2. If a measurement is precise, must it also be accurate? Explain your answer.
Answer: The measurement unit might be precise but not accurate. Precision
refers to how close two measurements are to each other, whereas accuracy refers to
how near a measurement is to a standard or recognized value. Precision is not
synonymous with accuracy, and it may or may not be correct.
3. A dart player can easily check whether his or her throws are accurate by evaluating
how far the darts are from the bull’s eye.
a. How is this different from the scientists measuring natural phenomena?

b. Is there a way for scientists to check the accuracy of their measurements?

Explain your answer.

Answer: Yes, theres a way for scientist the accuracy of their

measurements. And it is by using instruments that can measure it accurately.
Unit 1: Physical Quantities and
Measurements

1.3. Uncertainties and Deviations in Measurement 26