A spring is loaded with six known weights and its extension read from a ruler of…

PHYSICS · Multi-part · Fermi University Physics · Scientific Practice & Experimental Methods · Uncertainty in measurement · Records, communication and the epistemology of evidence

Measurement and Method, Ch Writing the result, and the integrity of the data behind it

Problem

A spring is loaded with six known weights and its extension read from a ruler of resolution

1\,\mathrm{mm}

, giving a standard uncertainty

u(x) = 0.5\,\mathrm{mm}

for every reading. The applied load

F

is set by adding known masses and is known to

u(F) = 0.02\,\mathrm{N}

. The six readings are:

F = 0.98, 1.96, 2.94, 3.92, 4.90, 5.88\,\mathrm{N}

x = 12.3, 24.5, 37.0, 49.1, 61.4, 73.8\,\mathrm{mm}

((a)) Present this dataset as a stand-alone table, headed and formatted so that a reader who sees only the table can read every number with its unit and uncertainty. ((b)) State, in words, everything the caption of a figure of the same data would need to contain so that the figure also stands alone (axes, error bars,

N

, instrument).

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