Activity 1 : On Measurement

     "The process of measurement is important in any scientific endeavor,  Scientific theories no matter how elegant mathematically may be considered weak without experimental verification and may even be rejected when experimentally invalidated."

True to what our module indicated, measurements are really important when it comes to the scientific world.  When we are talking about measurements, the sure thing to come to our mind is how sure are we that our measurements are exact.

The frequently asked questions during my high school years were:

1.  How precise is your measurement?

2.  How accurate is your measurement?

3.  Are you sure that you did not actually commit any errors during the process of measurement?

These questions are answered at the most precise, accurate and valid way of measuring known today ( LOL )

The concept of UNCERTAINTY what we have discovered for today. Measurement is inherently uncertain; there is no absolute or exact reading.  Based on the discussion. uncertainty depends on: (1) the quality of the device, (2) quantity being measured, and  (3) personal errors.

The first concept that we studied was about SIGNIFICANT FIGURES.  The need to determine which digits are significant arise form the uncertain nature of measurement.  After knowing the concept of significant figures, we go on to the LEVELS OF HANDLING UNCERTAINTY.

In the levels of handling uncertainty, we have studied four levels.  The first level is the ZEROTH ORDER OF APPROXIMATION : Order of Magnitude.  The order of magnitude is the exponent of the base 10 in a number reported in scientific notation.  The second level is the First Order Approximation: Significant figures.   The zeroth order of approximation is a very rough estimate, and may not work for experiments that need higher level of precision, so we need the First Order Approximation  in which there are many rules to follow when handling uncertain values (YES there are many rules).  The third level is the Second Order of Approximation: Best Estimates.  This is the part where my group  messed up with the values while answering the activity worksheet (haha).  Best estimates are used for quantities that are fluctuating or irregular.  Lastly, the last level would be the Third Order of Approximation: Statistical Treatment.  In this level of approximation, we require that the number of measurements conducted is sufficiently large that is approaches infinity.

The 1st activity worksheet was really fun answering.  My group had a good time especially when we really messed up with some values included in the worksheet. Looking forward for more Physics 101.1!

SAMPLE OF WHERE TO USE MEASUREMENTS