Making Measurements and Analysing Data | OCR A-Level Physics A (H556)
Making Measurements and Analysing Data
- 26 questions
- 2 subtopics
- Module 2: Foundations of physics
- Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3
The treatment of error and uncertainty: what distinguishes a systematic error from a random one, and how uncertainty is expressed, combined and shown on a graph..
It covers systematic and random errors and precision, accuracy and uncertainties.
Sample questions from Making Measurements and Analysing Data
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Systematic and random errors
Can systematic errors be reduced by repeating measurements and calculating an average?
Show the answer
No, systematic errors cannot be reduced by repeating measurements and averaging because they shift all readings by the same amount in the same direction. -
Systematic and random errors
How can random errors be reduced?
Show the answer
Random errors can be reduced by taking repeated measurements and calculating a mean. -
Precision, accuracy and uncertainties
Calculate the percentage uncertainty when absolute uncertainty = 2.9, measured value = 90.
Show the answer
Percentage uncertainty = (2.9 ÷ 90) × 100 = 3.22 %. -
Precision, accuracy and uncertainties
Calculate the percentage difference when experimental value = 58.6, accepted value = 76.5.
Show the answer
Percentage difference = (|58.6 − 76.5| ÷ 76.5) × 100 = 23.4 %.
The 2 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Systematic and random errors | Recall questions on zero errors, what causes each type of error, and how each can be reduced. | 9 |
| Precision, accuracy and uncertainties | Recall questions on absolute and percentage uncertainty, combining uncertainties, and error bars on a graph. | 17 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
OCR A-Level Physics A Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,862 questions with their answers.