Measurement Error part of Teaching Methods:Understanding Uncertainty
Numbers presented to students in geoscience always have some error associated with them. Anytime data is presented in class, not only in an instrumentation course, it is important they understand the errors ...

Rounding Numbers part of Teaching Methods:Understanding Uncertainty
Scientists have a convention for rounding numbers to the appropriate number of significant figures. In the age of calculators that mindlessly present many digits more than are significant, knowing how to round ...

Propagation of Error part of Teaching Methods:Understanding Uncertainty
Numerical Method The propagation of errors in individual mathematical operations, such as addition, multiplication, raising numbers to powers, etc. can be determined with specific analytical formulas. However, the ...

Precision and Accuracy part of Teaching Methods:Understanding Uncertainty
Precision and accuracy are often used synonymously but they are in fact different things. It is possible to have very precise measurements that are not at all accurate. Here's a good example to share with ...

Significant Figures part of Teaching Methods:Understanding Uncertainty
There is a general convention that the number of significant digits or figures in a measurement includes all of the decimal places that have constant value for every measurement of the parameter plus the first ...

Appropriate Representation of Numbers part of Teaching Methods:Understanding Uncertainty
Everyone agrees it is Africa's most populous nation. But what is its population? The United Nations says 114 million; the State Department, 120 million. The World Bank says 126.9 million, while the Central ...

Understanding Uncertainty part of Teaching Methods:Understanding Uncertainty
Developed by Keith Sverdrup, Bob MacKay, and Swarn Gill in conjunction with the 2004 Workshop Histogram created with Online Statistical software. Details Students often encounter problems understanding measurement ...