COMPUTATION OF ERRORS IN COMMON PHYSICS EXPERIMENTS

COMPUTATION OF ERRORS IN COMMON PHYSICS EXPERIMENTS

Ukeme Umoh¹, Okon Peter² Aniefiok Udofia¹, and Imaobong Paul¹

¹Department of Physics, University of Uyo, Nigeria

²Department of Science Technology, Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, Ikot Ekpene, Nigeria.

Corresponding author: ukemeaumoh@uniuyo.edu.ng

ABSTRACT

In conducting experiments in physics, the uncertainty in a measurement is first decided before the measurement is made and the measurements repeated and then the individual measured values are combined into an average final value or the measured value is combined mathematically with other measured values, either via combining equations, curve fitting and graphical analysis, to find a final measured value. The process of evaluating uncertainty associated with the measurement is often called error analysis. The uncertainty of a single measurement is limited by the precision and accuracy of the measurement. Every uncertainty in result of experiment from the expected one has important significance. Even on undergraduate level of our universities, error analysis and interpretation of the result should be done instead of writing just the points of precautions. This approach will make the students somewhat familiar about the error analysis on advanced level. This fact necessitated this work the computation of error in undergraduate common physics experiments. This shall enhance the standardization of our laboratory reporting.

Keywords: Computation, Errors analysis, Uncertainty and Measurement.