ERRORS IN

MEASUREMENT
presentation
By,
Sharyar sajid (FA-20-BME-030)
Hammad Ahmed (FA-20-BME-011)
Saad-bin-saeed ( FA-20-BME-021)
OBJECTIVES

➢ Understanding Error
➢ Different Types of Error in
Measurements
➢ Error Prevention
 Introduction
➢ Practically all measurements of continuums involves
some error

➢ In earlier times, It was believed that error in We can’t measure both position and
measurement can be eliminated by improving the momentum of photon simultaneously_
technique and instrument. uncertainty principle

➢ However most of the scientist now accept that this is not

the case

➢ We can not eliminate error from a measurement. Rather,

knowing the nature and source of the error can only
help in reducing their impact.
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 Error = actual value – measured value

➢ Any measurement made with any measuring instrument gives a certain

degree of uncertainty. This uncertainty is referred to as an error.
➢ The difference between the real value and the estimated value of a
quantity is known as measurement error. An error may be positive or may
be negative.
➢ The deviation of the measured quantity from the actual quantity or true
value is called error.
➢ If you measure the same object two different times, the two
measurements may not be the same. The difference between two
measurements is called a variation in the measurements.

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Types of measurement errors

Systematic error Personal

Instrumental Environmental

Random error
Observational Environmental

Gross error

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 Systematic Error

➢ Systematic error means that your measurements of the same

thing will vary in predictable ways: every measurement will
differ from the true measurement in the same direction, and
even by the same amount in some cases.
➢ Systematic error is also referred to as bias because your data is
skewed in standardized ways that hide the true values. This may
lead to inaccurate conclusions
➢ Systematic error is the portion of error that remains constant in
repeated measurements of the same variable.
➢ Systematic error refers to the accuracy of the measurement
➢ Systematic error is more problematic , it leads towards false
conclusion.
➢ Measurement will be biased away from true value.

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➢ Instrumental:
When the instrument being used does not function properly
causing error in the experiment (such as a scale that reads 2g
more than the actual weight of the object, causing the measured
values to read too high consistently)

➢ Environmental:
When the surrounding environment (such as a lab) causes errors
in the experiment (the scientist cell phone's RF waves cause
the Geiger counter to incorrectly display the radiation

➢ Observational:
When the scientist inaccurately reads a measurement wrong
(such as when not standing straight-on when reading
the volume of a flask causing the volume to be incorrectly
measured)

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 Preventing systematic error

➢ Triangulation
It means using multiple techniques to record observations so that you’re not relying on
only one instrument or method.

➢ Regular calibration
Calibrating an instrument means comparing what the instrument records with the true
value of a known, standard quantity. Regularly calibrating your instrument with an
accurate reference helps reduce the likelihood of systematic errors affecting your study.

➢ Fixing parallax and zero error

Avoiding parallax error and zero error can also help in eliminating systematic error.
Parallax error occur due to incorrect positioning of eyes while taking the measurements
Parallax error
➢ Controlling variables in lab
controlling different variables, providing required conditions and following correct
procedure is also important 8
 Random error

➢ Random errors occur randomly, and sometimes have no source/cause

➢ Random error affects your measurements in unpredictable ways: your

measurements are equally likely to be higher or lower than the true
values.

➢ In the graph, the black line represents a perfect match between the
true scores and observed scores of a scale. In an ideal world, all of your
data would fall on exactly that line. The green dots represent the
actual observed scores for each measurement with random error
added.
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 There are two types of random errors:

➢ Observational: When the observer makes consistent

observational mistakes (such not reading the scale correctly
and writing down values that are constantly too low or too
high)

➢ Environmental: When unpredictable changes occur in the

environment of the experiment (such as students repeatedly
opening and closing the door when the pressure is being
measured, causing fluctuations in the reading)

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 Preventing
Random error
Random error is almost always present in research, even in highly controlled settings.
While you can’t eradicate it completely, you can reduce random them
➢ Take repeated measurements
A simple way to increase precision is by taking repeated measurements and using their
average. For example, you might measure the area of this room three times and get
slightly different value each time. Taking the mean of the three measurements, instead of
using just one, brings you much closer to the true value.
➢ Increase your sample size
Large samples have less random error than small samples. That’s because the errors in
different directions cancel each other out more efficiently when you have more data
points. Collecting data from a large sample increases precision and statistical power.
➢ Control variables
In controlled experiments, you should carefully control any extraneous variables that
could impact your measurements. These should be controlled for all participants so that
you remove key sources of random error across the board.

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 Gross error

➢ Gross Errors – gross errors occur when a mistake is made while

recording data results, using a measurement instrument, or
calculating measurement.
➢ Let’s take for example, a person who takes a reading from a
pressure gauge. He may read a pressure gauge indicating 1.01 Pa as
1.10 Pa.
➢ Gross errors are those that occur as a result of the observer’s lack of
experience, negligence or mistake while taking measurement
results.
➢ These errors can be eliminated
➢ Careful reading and recording of the data can reduce the gross
errors to a great extent

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