Exam-style question
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A student measures the mass of a sample as 50.0 g with an uncertainty of ±0.2 g. If they measure another sample with a mass of 30.0 g and an uncertainty of ±0.1 g, what is the combined uncertainty when calculating the total mass?.
- A.±0.3 g
- B.±0.4 g
- C.±0.5 g
- D.±0.6 g
Model answer
What a good answer should say
- ±0.3 g
Explanation
Why this works
When adding measurements, the absolute uncertainties add up. Thus, combined uncertainty = ±0.2 g + ±0.1 g = ±0.3 g.
Therefore, the combined uncertainty in the total mass is ±0.3 g.
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