Two different electronic balances are used to determine the mass of a metallic block…
PHYSICS · Subjective · A Level · Physics · Measurements and their errors · Measurements and their errors
Problem
Two different electronic balances are used to determine the mass of a metallic block whose true mass is 500.0g. Balance A gives a single reading of 499.2g, while Balance B gives a single reading of 501.1g.
(i) For each balance, calculate the absolute error.
(ii) For each balance, calculate the relative error.
(iii) For each balance, calculate the percentage error, reporting the answers to the appropriate number of significant figures.
(iv) Identify which balance gives the more accurate measurement and justify your answer quantitatively.
(v) If an industrial specification demands that the percentage error in mass measurement should not exceed 0.15%, examine whether either of the two balances meets this requirement, showing all workings.