For examples, if I measure length with a meter stick with the smallest unit of 1mm, can I use the uncertainty of 0.5mm in this formula: ΔC=√(∂C∂x1Δx1)2+(∂C∂x2Δx2)2+...
The reason I ask is that according to my understanding the uncertainties used in the formula carry with them a probabilistic nature. Assume the measurements are distributed normally, then Δx1,Δx2,... can be thought of as 1 standard deviation from the mean, which gives the range that the true value can fall into 68% of the time. In contrast, the 0.5mm estimated is the maximum error that we can have(true value fall into this range 100% of the time). So how can I fit this uncertainty of 0.5mm into this formula? Assume I use 0.5mm directly into the formula, what will the result (ΔC) mean? I doubt it can be considered to be either the maximum error possible or 1 standard deviation from the mean
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