Question

What happens when you multiply/divide two measurements, what happens to the percentage uncertainty?

a) It decreases
b) It increases
c) It remains the same
d) It becomes negative

Answer 1

When you multiply or divide two measurements, the percentage uncertainty increases. For example, if a floor has a length of 4.00 m with an uncertainty of 2% and a width of 3.00 m with an uncertainty of 1%, the area of the floor calculated by multiplying the length and width would have an uncertainty of 3%.

Step-by-step explanation:

When you multiply or divide two measurements, the percentage uncertainty increases. According to the method of adding percents, the percent uncertainty in a quantity calculated by multiplication or division is the sum of the percent uncertainties in the measurements used. For example, if a floor has a length of 4.00 m with an uncertainty of 2% and a width of 3.00 m with an uncertainty of 1%, the area of the floor calculated by multiplying the length and width would have an uncertainty of 3%.

multiply or divide two measurements, the percentage uncertainty increases. For example, if a floor has a length of 4.00 m with an uncertainty of 2% and a width of 3.00 m with an uncertainty of 1%, the area of the floor calculated by multiplying the length and width would have an uncertainty of 3%.