BRAINCAKEUncertainties from Repeated Readings
Repeating a measurement several times reduces the effect of random errors and helps you spot anomalous readings.
Step 1: look for anomalies. A reading that is clearly far from the others is anomalous. It should be excluded before calculating the mean (and, if possible, repeated).
Step 2: find the mean. Add the remaining readings and divide by the number of readings. Quote the mean to the same resolution as the readings.
Sign in free to see the rest of this lesson, the R.E.C.I.P.E. recall steps and the quiz
BrainCake is free. Make an account in seconds and pick up where this page stops.
Key terms in this lesson
- absolute uncertainty
- The uncertainty in a measurement, expressed with the same units as the measurement itself.
- percentage uncertainty
- The absolute uncertainty in a measurement expressed as a percentage of the measured value.
More in Measurements and Uncertainties
- Random and Systematic Errors
- Precision and Accuracy
- Absolute and Percentage Uncertainty
- Combining Uncertainties
- Plotting Graphs
- Error Bars
- Best-fit and Worst-fit Lines
- Uncertainty in a Gradient and Intercept
All 12 lessons in Measurements and Uncertainties · All OCR AS-level Physics topics