PhysicsLab1Data

Number of Coffee Filters Mass (g) Uncertainty of Mass (g) 1 1.05 0.01 2 2.10 0.02 3 3.15 0.03 4 4.20 0.04 5 5.25 0.05 To calculate the averages of the recorded data, we averaged out the time it took for each pile of coffee filters to fall. Then we took the average deviations between the averages and the data to get the uncertainties of time for each stack of coffee filters. The terminal speed of each stack of coffee filters was calculated by using the formula v= Δ x/ Δ t, where v=speed (m/s), x=distance (m) and t=time (s). This also involved using the propagation rules we learned to compute our uncertainties. In our case, our falling distance was always 1.5m with an uncertainty of 0.05m, so our distance would always equal 1.50m ± 0.05m or 1.50m ± 3.33%. We would then do the same conversion for the times of whatever stack of coffee filters we chose. For example, for our stack of 5 coffee filters, 0.81s ± 0.04s became 0.81s ± 4.91%. We would then add the two percents together and multiply them by the quotient of 1.50m and 0.81s to get a final result of 1.85m/s ± 0.15m/s. The averages and uncertainties for our times and speeds are stated in the table below: Number of Coffee Filters Avg. Falling Time (s) Avg. Uncert. of Time (s) Avg. Speed (m/s) Avg. Uncert. Of Speed (m/s) 1 1.70 0.05 0.88 0.06 2 1.24 0.06 1.2 0.1 3 1.01 0.06 1.48 0.14 4 0.92 0.02 1.63 0.09 5 0.81 0.04 1.85 0.15 The percent error was calculated by using the formula below.