Calculation Error Multiplication
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Error Propagation Multiplication
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find that the error in this measurement is 0.001 in. To find the area we multiply the width (W) and length (L). The area then is L x W error propagation square root = (1.001 in) x (1.001 in) = 1.002001 in2 which rounds to 1.002 in2. error propagation chemistry This gives an error of 0.002 if we were given that the square was exactly super-accurate 1 inch a side. error propagation average This is an example of correlated error (or non-independent error) since the error in L and W are the same. The error in L is correlated with that of in W. Now, suppose that http://www.rit.edu/~w-uphysi/uncertainties/Uncertaintiespart2.html we made independent determination of the width and length separately with an error of 0.001 in each. In this case where two independent measurements are performed the errors are independent or uncorrelated. Therefore the error in the result (area) is calculated differently as follows (rule 1 below). First, find the relative error (error/quantity) in each of the quantities that enter to the calculation, relative error in width is 0.001/1.001 http://www.utm.edu/~cerkal/Lect4.html = 0.00099900. The resultant relative error is Relative Error in area = Therefore the absolute error is (relative error) x (quantity) = 0.0014128 x 1.002001=0.001415627. which rounds to 0.001. Therefore the area is 1.002 in2± 0.001in.2. This shows that random relative errors do not simply add arithmetically, rather, they combine by root-mean-square sum rule (Pythagorean theorem). Let’s summarize some of the rules that applies to combining error when adding (or subtracting), multiplying (or dividing) various quantities. This topic is also known as error propagation. 2. Error propagation for special cases: Let σx denote error in a quantity x. Further assume that two quantities x and y and their errors σx and σy are measured independently. In this case relative and percent errors are defined as Relative error = σx / x, Percent error = 100 (σx / x) Multiplying or dividing with a constant. The resultant absolute error also is multiplied or divided. Multiplication or division, relative error. Addition or subtraction: In this case, the absolute errors obey Pythagorean theorem. If a and b are constants, If there are more than two measured quantities, you can extend expressions provided above by addin
Engineering Medicine Agriculture Photosciences Humanities Periodic Table of the Elements Reference Tables Physical Constants Units and Conversions Organic Chemistry Glossary Search site Search Search Go back to previous article Username Password Sign in Sign in Sign http://chem.libretexts.org/Core/Analytical_Chemistry/Quantifying_Nature/Significant_Digits/Propagation_of_Error in Registration Forgot password Expand/collapse global hierarchy Home Core Analytical Chemistry Quantifying Nature Expand/collapse global location Propagation of Error Last updated 20:33, 14 May 2016 Save as PDF Share Share Share Tweet Share IntroductionDerivation of Exact FormulaDerivation of Arithmetic ExampleCaveats and WarningsDisadvantages of Propagation of Error ApproachTreatment of Covariance TermsReferencesContributors Propagation of Error (or Propagation of Uncertainty) is defined as the effects on a function by a variable's uncertainty. It is error propagation a calculus derived statistical calculation designed to combine uncertainties from multiple variables, in order to provide an accurate measurement of uncertainty. Introduction Every measurement has an air of uncertainty about it, and not all uncertainties are equal. Therefore, the ability to properly combine uncertainties from different measurements is crucial. Uncertainty in measurement comes about in a variety of ways: instrument variability, different observers, sample differences, time of day, etc. Typically, error calculation error multiplication is given by the standard deviation (\(\sigma_x\)) of a measurement. Anytime a calculation requires more than one variable to solve, propagation of error is necessary to properly determine the uncertainty. For example, lets say we are using a UV-Vis Spectrophotometer to determine the molar absorptivity of a molecule via Beer's Law: A = ε l c. Since at least two of the variables have an uncertainty based on the equipment used, a propagation of error formula must be applied to measure a more exact uncertainty of the molar absorptivity. This example will be continued below, after the derivation (see Example Calculation). Derivation of Exact Formula Suppose a certain experiment requires multiple instruments to carry out. These instruments each have different variability in their measurements. The results of each instrument are given as: a, b, c, d... (For simplification purposes, only the variables a, b, and c will be used throughout this derivation). The end result desired is \(x\), so that \(x\) is dependent on a, b, and c. It can be written that \(x\) is a function of these variables: \[x=f(a,b,c) \tag{1}\] Because each measurement has an uncertainty about its mean, it can be written that the uncertainty of dxi of the ith measurement of \(x\) depends on the uncertainty of