Question

Q1. A student measured the width of a solid metal cube using a digital micrometer. The figure below shows the micrometer. Jaws Metal cube 18.45 mm (a) The resolution of the micrometer is 0.01 mm The student could have used a metre rule to measure the width of the cube. Explain how using a metre rule would have affected the accuracy of the student's measurement of width. (2)​

Answer 1

Using a meter rule would likely decrease the accuracy of the student's measurement of the cube's width. The meter rule's limited resolution, typically in the range of millimeters, would make it challenging to obtain a precise measurement compared to the digital micrometer with a resolution of 0.01 mm.

Step-by-step explanation:

In measuring the width of the metal cube, the resolution of the measuring instrument plays a crucial role in determining the accuracy of the measurement. The resolution of a measuring tool refers to the smallest incremental change it can detect. In this case, the digital micrometer has a resolution of 0.01 mm, which means it can measure changes in width as small as 0.01 mm. On the other hand, a typical meter rule may have a resolution of 1 mm, making it less precise compared to the micrometer.

To illustrate, consider that the actual width of the metal cube is 18.45 mm. The micrometer, with its fine resolution, can provide a more accurate measurement, such as 18.46 mm or 18.44 mm. However, if a meter rule were used, the measurement might be rounded to the nearest millimeter, resulting in a less precise value, such as 18 mm or 19 mm. This potential rounding error demonstrates how the choice of measuring tool can impact the accuracy of the measurement.

In conclusion, the student's decision to use a digital micrometer instead of a meter rule was wise in achieving a more accurate measurement of the metal cube's width. The micrometer's superior resolution allows for finer precision, reducing the likelihood of measurement errors compared to the coarser resolution of a meter rule.

Answer 2

Step-by-step explanation:

Using a meter rule to measure the width of the cube would have affected the accuracy of the student's measurement of width. The resolution of a meter rule is typically 1 mm, which is much larger than the resolution of the digital micrometer used by the student, which is 0.01 mm. This means that the meter rule would not have been able to measure the width of the cube with the same level of precision as the digital micrometer.

In other words, the measurement obtained using the meter rule would have been less precise, with a larger uncertainty, than the measurement obtained using the digital micrometer. This is because the meter rule does not have the same level of precision and accuracy as the digital micrometer, which is specifically designed for measuring small distances with high precision.

Therefore, using a meter rule to measure the width of the cube would have resulted in a less accurate measurement than using the digital micrometer.