ERROR ANALYSIS PROBLEMS

CHEM 4541 - DUE DURING CLASS ON WEDNESDAY 2/18

CHEM 4581 DUE DURING YOUR LAB MEETING THE WEEK OF 2/16

Refer to the error analysis handout on the course web page
http://www.colorado.edu/chem/chem4541/ under experimental handouts for help with
these problems.

Problem 1. The current is determined in a circuit by measuring the voltage drop across
two resistors in series.

a. If R
l
is a 300 ohm ( 5%) resistor and R
2
is a 100 ohm ( 1%) resistor and the
voltmeter reads 2.5 Volts and is accurate to 0.01 Volts, what is the value of the current,
i, and what is the maximum uncertainty (error) in i? (For resistors in series the total
resistance is the sum of the individual resistances.) Use Ohm's law, E = iR, where E is
the voltage, i is the current, and R is the resistance.

b. What contributes most to the standard deviation, the uncertainty in R
1
, the uncertainty
in R
2
, or the uncertainty in E? Show how you arrived at that conclusion.

Problem 2. A sample of gas weighing 1.602 g occupies 224 mL at a pressure of 749 mm
Hg and a temperature of 100.0 C. Calculate the molar mass (M) of the gas, using the
ideal gas equation:

M = gRT / PV. (NEGLECT ERROR CALCULATION UNTIL PROBLEM #3)

Where g = mass in grams
T = temperature in K
P = pressure in atm
V = volume in mL

Problem 3. Estimate the error in each of the variables and calculate the total error for
Problem #2.

Problem 4. A student analyzing a sample compound for the percentage of bromine makes
eight trials with the following results (if you omit any measurements you must justify
your decision).

35.9, 37.0, 36.1, 36.3, 36.0, 36.3, 35.8, and 36.3 %

Calculate a. The arithmetic mean
b. The average error
c. The standard deviation
d. The probable error




Problem 5. Find the error in k given by the equation k = A e
-E/RT
where A = (4.5 0.1)
x 10
11
, E = 3.56 0.05 kcal/mole, and T = 27.0 0.5 C.


Problem 6. The rotational transitions of a diatomic molecule fit the relation v(J J + 1)
= 2(J + 1)B
0
- 4(J + 1) D
e
where B
0
is the rotational constant for the ground rotational
state (v = 0) and D
e
is the centrifugal distortion constant. For CO, rotational transitions
originating in J levels 0 to 4 have been observed at 38.45, 76.90, 115.34, 153.79 and
192.22 cm
-1
, respectively. Fit these data points to an equation using linear regression to
find values for the rotational constant and for the centrifugal distortion constant. Give
values for these parameters along with errors estimated from information give in the
regression. Include a plot of your data and a copy of your spreadsheet with your solution.


Problem 7. In order to use any of the methods of graphical analysis, the variable being
plotted must have a linear relationship. One of the "tricks", then, is to reformulate
equations into a linear form. The following equation does not have a linear relationship
between measured variables. Indicate how you would transform it and what you would
plot to give a linear relationship so that the desired quantities could be found.

e
((A + BT)/T)
= P

Measured variables are pressure, P, as a function of temperature, T. Solve for A and B.
Which is the dependent variable and why?