Error Propagation Addition Of A Constant
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or more quantities, each with their individual uncertainties, and then combine the information from these quantities in order to come up with a final result of our experiment. How can you state your answer for the combined result of these measurements uncertainty propagation constant and their uncertainties scientifically? The answer to this fairly common question depends on how the error propagation multiplication by a constant individual measurements are combined in the result. We will treat each case separately: Addition of measured quantities If you have measured error propagation addition and division values for the quantities X, Y, and Z, with uncertainties dX, dY, and dZ, and your final result, R, is the sum or difference of these quantities, then the uncertainty dR is: Here the upper
Error Propagation Addition And Subtraction
equation is an approximation that can also serve as an upper bound for the error. Please note that the rule is the same for addition and subtraction of quantities. Example: Suppose we have measured the starting position as x1 = 9.3+-0.2 m and the finishing position as x2 = 14.4+-0.3 m. Then the displacement is: Dx = x2-x1 = 14.4 m - 9.3 m = 5.1 m and the error in the displacement error propagation calculator is: (0.22 + 0.32)1/2 m = 0.36 m Multiplication of measured quantities In the same way as for sums and differences, we can also state the result for the case of multiplication and division: Again the upper line is an approximation and the lower line is the exact result for independent random uncertainties in the individual variables. And again please note that for the purpose of error calculation there is no difference between multiplication and division. Example: We have measured a displacement of x = 5.1+-0.4 m during a time of t = 0.4+-0.1 s. What is the average velocity and the error in the average velocity? v = x / t = 5.1 m / 0.4 s = 12.75 m/s and the uncertainty in the velocity is: dv = |v| [ (dx/x)2 + (dt/t)2 ]1/2 = 12.75 m/s [(0.4/5.1)2 + (0.1/0.4)2]1/2 = 3.34 m/s Multiplication with a constant What if you have measured the uncertainty in an observable X, and you need to multiply it with a constant that is known exactly? What is the error then? This is easy: just multiply the error in X with the absolute value of the constant, and this will give you the error in R: If you compare this to the above rule for mult
uncertainty of an answer obtained from a calculation. Every time data are measured, there is an uncertainty associated with that measurement. (Refer to guide to Measurement and Uncertainty.) If these measurements used in your calculation have some uncertainty associated with them, then the error propagation sum final answer will, of course, have some level of uncertainty. For instance, in lab you might
Error Analysis Addition
measure an object's position at different times in order to find the object's average velocity. Since both distance and time measurements have uncertainties
Propagation Of Error Division
associated with them, those uncertainties follow the numbers throughout the calculations and eventually affect your final answer for the velocity of that object. How would you determine the uncertainty in your calculated values? In lab, graphs are often used http://lectureonline.cl.msu.edu/~mmp/labs/error/e2.htm where LoggerPro software calculates uncertainties in slope and intercept values for you. In other classes, like chemistry, there are particular ways to calculate uncertainties. In fact, since uncertainty calculations are based on statistics, there are as many different ways to determine uncertainties as there are statistical methods. The error propagation methods presented in this guide are a set of general rules that will be consistently used for all levels of physics classes in this department. In the http://physics.appstate.edu/undergraduate-programs/laboratory/resources/error-propagation following examples: q is the result of a mathematical operation δ is the uncertainty associated with a measurement. For example, if you have a measurement that looks like this: m = 20.4 kg ±0.2 kg Thenq = 20.4 kg and δm = 0.2 kg First Step: Make sure that your units are consistent Make sure that you are using SI units and that they are consistent. If you are converting between unit systems, then you are probably multiplying your value by a constant. Please see the following rule on how to use constants. Logger Pro If you are using a curve fit generated by Logger Pro, please use the uncertainty associated with the parameters that Logger Pro give you. In the above linear fit, m = 0.9000 andδm = 0.05774. The uncertainty should be rounded to 0.06, which means that the slope must be rounded to the hundredths place as well: m = 0.90± 0.06 If the above values have units, don't forget to include them. Constants If an expression contains a constant, B, such that q =Bx, then: You can see the the constant B only enters the equation in that it is used to determine q. Example: F = mg = (20.4 kg)(-9.80 m/s2) = -199.92 kgm/s2 δF/F = δm/m δF/(-199.92 kgm/s2) = (0.2 kg)/(20.4 kg) δF = ±1.96 kgm/s2 δF = ±2 kgm/s2 F = -199.92 kgm/s2 ±
would be your guess: can an American Corvette get away if chased by an Italian police Lamborghini?
The top speed of the Corvette https://phys.columbia.edu/~tutorial/propagation/tut_e_4_3.html is 186 mph ± 2 mph. The top speed of the Lamborghini Gallardo is 309 km/h ± 5 km/h. We know that 1 mile = 1.61 km. In order to convert the speed of the Corvette to km/h, we need to multiply it by the factor of 1.61. What should we do with the error? Well, you've learned in the previous section that when you multiply two quantities, error propagation you add their relative errors. The relative error on the Corvette speed is 1%. However, the conversion factor from miles to kilometers can be regarded as an exact number.1 There is no error associated with it. Its relative error is 0%. Thus the relative error on the Corvette speed in km/h is the same as it was in mph, 1%. (adding relative errors: 1% + 0% = 1%.) It error propagation addition means that we can multiply the error in mph by the conversion constant just in the same way we multiply the speed. So our answer for the maximum speed of the Corvette in km/h is: 299 km/h ± 3 km/h. Now we are ready to answer the question posed at the beginning in a scientific way. The highest possible top speed of the Corvette consistent with the errors is 302 km/h. The lowest possible top speed of the Lamborghini Gallardo consistent with the errors is 304 km/h. Bad news for would-be speedsters on Italian highways. No way can you get away from that police car. The rule we discussed in this chase example is true in all cases involving multiplication or division by an exact number. You simply multiply or divide the absolute error by the exact number just as you multiply or divide the central value; that is, the relative error stays the same when you multiply or divide a measured value by an exact number. << Previous Page Next Page >> 1 For this example, we are regarding the conversion 1 mile = 1.61 km as exact. Actually, the conversion factor has more significant digits. Home - Credits - Feedback © Columbia Universitybe down. Please try the request again. Your cache administrator is webmaster. Generated Fri, 14 Oct 2016 15:22:47 GMT by s_wx1131 (squid/3.5.20)