[Phys-L] Re: Human Error?

["Spagna Jr., George" <gspagna@RMC.EDU>]

Aaron wrote:

-----Original Message-----
From: Aaron Titus [mailto:titus@MAILAPS.ORG]
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 1:31 PM
To: PHYS-L@LISTS.NAU.EDU
Subject: Re: Human Error?

Well, we should start a support group.

[snip]

>  For example, uncertainty in timing with a stopwatch is not
> due to the measuring device but due to reaction time. I suppose that a
> proper way to measure this is to repeat the measurement many times and
> find the standard deviation of the measurements. Of course, students
> should refer to this uncertainty as being due to reaction time and
> should calculate it appropriately.

A good first experiment for an intro class is to measure reaction time.
Then you can work with the students to recognize that they do have to
account for the experimenter in their uncertainty analysis of timing
experiments.  Also allows the discussion of why use electronic timers,
and what is their intrinsic level of uncertainty.

********************************************
 "The wise person doesn't give the right
 answers, but poses the right questions."
                           - Claude Levi-Strauss
********************************************

Dr. George Spagna
Chair, Physics Department
Randolph-Macon College
P.O. Box 5005
Ashland, VA 23005-5505

phone: (804) 752-7344
fax: (804) 752-4724
e-mail: gspagna@rmc.edu
http://faculty.rmc.edu/gspagna
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