🔖 Topics

  • Accuracy versus precision
  • Gross / human errors
  • Random errors
  • Systemic errors
  • Error mitigation techniques

🎯 Objectives

  • Explain the difference between accuracy and precision
  • Compare and contrast three major types of errors - gross / human, random, and systemic.
  • Classify examples of errors as gross / human, random, or systemic
  • Discuss different strategies to overcome errors in experiments

📋 Sequence

Accuracy and Precision

Image courtesy of (“Errors in Measurement: Measurement, Gross Errors, Systematic Errors, Random Errors and FAQs”).

  • Accuracy vs. precision
  • Gross / human errors
    • Errors that come from human oversight / mistakes (e.g. I forgot to read the directions)
    • Not an acceptable error in the lab
    • If you report these as errors, I will not count them as correct 😓
  • Random errors
    • Mainly affect precision, not accuracy
    • Relatively easy to spot compared to systemic errors
    • Relatively easy to overcome compared to systemic errors (e.g. repeated measurements, larger sample size, control extraneous variables)
  • Systemic errors
    • Mainly affect accuracy, not precision
    • Can be difficult to spot

🖥️ Animations, Simulations, Activities

N/A

📝 Practice Problems

We will have an in-class discussion about different types of errors in the lab today. No practice problems for this lesson!

✅ Partial Solutions

N/A

📘 Connected Resources

  1. “Errors in Measurement: Measurement, Gross Errors, Systematic Errors, Random Errors and FAQs.” BYJUS, https://byjus.com/physics/accuracy-precision-error-measurement/. Accessed January 27, 2024.