Ignacio Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Hi there, I have an absolute error question, regarding a chemistry lab report: I used a spectrophotometer which gives the absorbace with three decimal places (i.e. 1.234). The absolute error for this apparatus would be + 0.001 or half the last unit measurable, therefore + 0.0005? Thank you! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slovakov Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 (edited) The rule of thumb is that, unless stated otherwise, the uncertainty of digital equipment is equal to smallest displayed value, in your case it would be +/- 0.001. But often, especially in case of more advanced apparatus, the uncertainty is defined on the equipment or in its documentation, so if you have any manuals regarding your equipment, it would be good to check there for information. Edited February 17, 2016 by Slovakov Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eross Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 usually equipment says its error on the manual or box, check to see if it's got it written down otherwise, I would go with +/- 0.001 good luck! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moma Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 I share the the opinion of the two previous posts:D Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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