General Physics II

Laboratory Experiment #12

Name Kevin Harmon

Date 4/24/13

Partners Jeremy Hoppe, David Tucker

Section 2

Lloyds Mirror - Postlab

Data:

Questions:
1)

For this lab we have used differential error analysis for finding the propagation of
error. Each term in the differential error calculation gives an indication of how
each variable contributes to the over all error of the calculated value. For the
following questions calculate the values for each term in the error calculation and
determine which uncertainty makes the largest contribution to the over all
uncertainty.
a)

Considering the calculation in part B, which measured value introduced

the most error? (f or q) (Support your answer with a calculation.)
The measured value that introduced the most error was q. Q was what we had to
measure from our laser to our surface, while f was a given value from the lens that
we used. We had to actually measure out q. There was no calculation for finding
f, therefore q would introduce the most error.

General Physics II

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Postlab Experiment #12

b)

Considering the calculation in part C, which measured or calculated value

introduced the most error? (p, D, or q) (Support your answer with a
calculation.)
The error for D and q was 1 mm. The error for p was 1.06 mm. This can be
p
f
q

2
2
p
f f q q f q
found by using:
. Therefore, p introduced the most
error of the 3 variables.

c)

Considering the calculation in part E, which measured or calculated value

introduced the most error? (d, y, p, or q) (Support your answer with a
calculation.)
Error for p was 1.06 mm. For y and q was 1 mm. d was found to be 1.10 mm.
d p D q

d
p
D
q . Therefore, d
This was found using the following equation,
introduced the most error.

2)

In light of question 1 which measurement was most critical to the accuracy of

your results? How would you improve this measurement if you repeated the
experiment?
D was the most critical to measure, because had the smallest measurement we
needed to do. If we were to repeat this experiment again, we could be more
precise with the measurement. If we were able to get the lasers more precise and
get a clearer measurement, we would improve on this data.

3)

In part D of the procedure you used two different techniques to minimize

measurement error for the distance between interference fringes, y. Describe
those two techniques and explain why they should minimize measurement error.
The first method was using multiple people to measure the fringes. This
minimizes measurement error because we are able to get multiple perspectives
that can give us more accurate results. The second method is selecting different
spots inside the image. By doing this, we guarantee we didnt pick a certain spots
that can mess up our results because it is different from everything else.

4)

As Christians we have a desire to be pleasing to Christ (II Cor. 5:9). What lesson
about being pleasing to Christ can we gain by considering the error analysis
procedure in questions 1 and 2?
In the error analysis, we can see that all aspects of the lab are important to be able
to get the most accurate results. In our walk with Christ, we need to be able to live
in him in all areas of our life. If one aspect is off, we need to be able to adjust to
get our life back together.