Practical Investigation
Key Measurement Terms
• True value: The value that would be found if the quantity could be
measured perfectly.
• Measurement result: Refers to a final result, usually the average of
several measurement values
• Validity: Does the experiment actually measure what you are
claiming it does.
• Repeatability: Do you get the same results when you measure the
data again the same way.
• Reproducibility: Do you get the same results when a similar
experiment is done using different equipment or by different people.
Presenting Your Data
Data tables should include:
• a title Height of Bounce vs Drop Height
• similar data in columns, i.e. data is Drop Trial 1 Trial 1 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Average
(m) (m) (m) (m) (m) (m) (m)
represented in columns rather than
rows 0.20 0.07 0.08 0.06 0.09 0.07 0.07
• units in the column header 0.40 0.16 0.12 0.18 0.14 0.15 0.15
0.60 0.18 0.27 0.21 0.25 0.24 0.23
• the powers of 10 in the column header
0.80 0.24 0.36 0.28 0.30 0.32 0.30
for very small or very large numbers
1.00 0.45 0.35 0.38 0.42 0.40 0.40
• consistent representation of decimal
1.20 0.48 0.36 0.54 0.42 0.45 0.45
places in data columns (unless the
measuring method has changed)
• replicate measurements and the
calculated average in separate
columns or rows as appropriate.
Presenting Your Data
Graphs should include Bounce Height of a Ball vs Drop Height
• a title 0.50
• axes labels with units 0.45
0.40
• axes labels with powers of ten (if 0.35
relevant)
Bounce Height (m)
0.30
• the independent variable on the 0.25
horizontal axis (unless other 0.20
conventions or usefulness override this) 0.15
• uncertainty bars on data points (if 0.10
provided with a numerical 0.05
representation of the uncertainty) 0.00
0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00 1.20 1.40
• a smooth trend line (straight or curved) Drop Height (m)
through data points
Repeated measurements
Measuring your IV is generally pretty easy. It shouldn’t change
throughout the experiment. But your Dependent Variables may have
their own variance. Due to the way they were measured or for other
reasons.
As a result each test should be conducted between three to Five times
so that you can determine an average.
The uncertainty of your dependent variable is the distance from your
average to account for your maximum and minimum results.
Measurement Error and Uncertainty.
• The term ‘measurement error’ is used to describe the difference
between a measurement result and the ‘true’ (theoretical) value.
• The uncertainty of a measurement is often represented as an interval,
for example, 20 ± 1 mm. When represented on a graph, the interval is
described as an ‘uncertainty bar’.
• Determining the exact values of uncertainties is beyond the scope of
the VCE course. You may be asked to estimate an interval and justify
your choice.
• Provided the ‘true’ value lies within the uncertainty interval, the
hypothesis is considered to be supported by the experiment.
Precision and Uncertainty
Every measurement tool has a limit to how precisely
it measures. These can be limited by the scale of the
device or the digital display.
A ruler has lines to mark each millimetre, but with
enough space between the lines it’s possible to
measure to a half millimetre 0.5mm.
The line below appears to be about 2.35cm since it is
closer to the midpoint than it is 2.3cm or 2.4cm as a
result we would determine it’s actual length to be
between 2.325 and 2.375cm
We represent this by saying
This covers off the 0.5mm precision.
Accuracy and
Precision: the short
version
•Accuracy: A measurement
value is considered to be
accurate if it is judged to be
close to the true value of the
quantity being measured.
•Precision: A measure of the
repeatability or reproducibility of
scientific measurements and
refers to how close two or more
measurements are to each other
Random Errors
Random errors affect the precision of a measurement and may be
present in all measurements. Random errors are unpredictable
variations in the measurement process and result in a spread
of readings.
Random errors can be large if variables are not well controlled.
Improving the control of variables reduces random errors accordingly.
Repeated measurements are made to reduce the effect of random
errors (and reduce likelihood of mistakes).
Repeat
measurements
Random errors Imprecise data
or control
variables better
Systematic Errors
Systematic errors cause readings to differ from the true
value in a systematic manner so when a particular value is
measured repeatedly, the error is the same.
Systematic errors result from limitations in the instrument
itself or incorrect calibration, or inappropriate methods
(including parallax).
Review the
Systematic Inaccurate method of
Errors data the
experiment
Outliers
Outliers are data points or observations that differ
significantly from other data points or observations.
Outliers in data must be further analysed and accounted
for, rather than being automatically dismissed, as an
ethical approach to dealing with data.
Repeating readings may be useful in further examining an
outlier, for example, to determine whether the outlier is a
personal mistake.
DON’T remove data UNLESS you know why
it’s wrong
Mistakes aka ‘human
errors’
Mistakes (sometimes
called personal errors )
should not be included in
reporting and analysis.
Rather, the experiment
should be repeated
correctly.
If you blame
‘human errors’
you are admitting
you suck
