Another way to report uncertainty in a measurement is with the percent uncertain

Question

Another way to report uncertainty in a measurement is with the percent uncertainty.

The percent uncertainty of a measurement is defined as the uncertainty associated with the measuring device divided by the actual measurement x 100 :

For instance, the percent uncertainty of the length of the edge of the cube given above would be :

            ( 0.02 / actual length ) x 100

Using a measuring caliper with a precision of  ± 0.008 cm, a technician reports the width of the gap between two machine parts to be 3.018 cm.

Calculate the percent uncertainty in this measurement.

Enter your answer using 1 sig fig. Do not include units in your answer.

Explanation / Answer

percent uncertainty of the gap between two machine

= ( 0.008 / actual gap) x 100

= (0.008 / 3.018) x 100

= 0.265

answer using 1 sig fig

= 0.3

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