BRAINCAKEUncertainties on Graphs
Uncertainties in plotted data are shown on a graph with error bars. An error bar is a line drawn through a plotted point that extends by the absolute uncertainty in each direction, usually with a short cap at each end. If both variables have significant uncertainties, error bars are drawn both vertically and horizontally; if one uncertainty is too small to show on the scale, that bar is left out.
Example: A point is plotted at I = 2.0 A, V = 8.2 V, and the uncertainty in V is ±0.3 V. The vertical error bar runs from 7.9 V to 8.5 V, a total length of 0.6 V on the scale.
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More in Measurements and Errors
- Converting Units
- Random and Systematic Errors
- Precision, Repeatability and Reproducibility
- Resolution and Accuracy
- Absolute, Fractional and Percentage Uncertainty
- Combining Uncertainties
- Uncertainty in a Gradient
- Estimation and Orders of Magnitude
All 12 lessons in Measurements and Errors · All AQA AS-level Physics topics