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Accuracy vs. Precision: Their Own Copy) and Have It Approved by The Teacher BEFORE You Write The Procedure in Your Lab

This document describes an experiment to teach students about accuracy and precision. Students will work in groups to design a procedure where one student drops sponges soaked in dyed water from a chair towards a line on the floor. The other student will measure how close each sponge lands to the line. Students will analyze the data to determine if their measurements were accurate, precise, or both. They will calculate the mean, median, and mode of the measurements and answer questions about accuracy and precision. The goal is for students to understand the difference between accuracy and precision through guided inquiry and analyzing measurement data.

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antoinnevongenesis
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81 views

Accuracy vs. Precision: Their Own Copy) and Have It Approved by The Teacher BEFORE You Write The Procedure in Your Lab

This document describes an experiment to teach students about accuracy and precision. Students will work in groups to design a procedure where one student drops sponges soaked in dyed water from a chair towards a line on the floor. The other student will measure how close each sponge lands to the line. Students will analyze the data to determine if their measurements were accurate, precise, or both. They will calculate the mean, median, and mode of the measurements and answer questions about accuracy and precision. The goal is for students to understand the difference between accuracy and precision through guided inquiry and analyzing measurement data.

Uploaded by

antoinnevongenesis
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name : Class: Date:

Accuracy vs. Precision

Introduction: When scientists make measurements, they evaluate both the accuracy and the precision of
the measurements. Accuracy refers to how close a measured value is to an accepted value. Precision refers
to how close a series of measurements are to each other.

Groups of two or three students will be assigned. Each group will design their own experiment to test
accuracy vs. precision. One student in each group will drop a series of sponges from a standing position on
a chair towards a chosen line on the floor. The other student in the group will measure and record how
close to the line on the floor the sponges dropped. The accuracy and precision of the dropped sponges will
be determined.

Hypothesis: Write your hypothesis.

Pre-lab Questions:

1) What is an accurate measurement in this experiment?


2) Where should the dropped sponges be measured from?

3) Should there be any regulations on how the student on the chair should stand?

4) What unit of measure should the class use to measure the dropped sponges (must be a metric
measure)?

Materials: Plastic cup 10 – sponge squares soaked in colored water

chair line on floor


meter stick paper towels

Safety: Materials in the lab are non-hazardous, but aprons and goggles should be worn to keep the
dyed water out of eyes and off clothes.

Procedure: Discuss with your classmates the pre-lab questions. Are there any other common
regulations that the class will need? Develop the procedure for the rest of the experiment with your
group. Write the procedure with your group on a separate sheet of paper (each student should have
their own copy) and have it approved by the teacher BEFORE you write the procedure in your lab
book. When the procedure is approved – write the procedure in your lab book.
Accuracy vs. Precision Lab – Page 2

Data: Make and label two data tables for your results. Data Table A should include the measurements of
each splatter in the agreed measure. Data Table B should include the mean, mode and median of the
measures in the correct unit.

mean– average of all the measures (sig. figs!!)


median – the middle measure mode – the measure
that occurs most frequently.

Post-lab Questions:

1) What was your most accurate measurement? Why was it the most accurate?

2) Where your measurements precise (yes, no, some of them…)? Explain.

3) Can just one measurement be considered accurate? precise? Explain.

4) Can measurements be precise but not accurate? Explain.

5) Explain what the measurements might look like in the data table if they are precise, but not accurate.

6) Compare and contrast your mean, mode and median. Are your numbers close to each other or very
different?
7) If your mean, mode and median measurements are very close to each other, what does that indicate
about the accuracy and precision of your measurements?
8) Evaluate your procedure. Was there too much or not enough detail? Would you change the order of
the directions?

9) Did the data tables you designed fit the information needed? If not, what would you change?

Conclusion: Write your conclusion.


Purpose: To help students determine the difference between accuracy and precision using guided inquiry.
The lab measures the splatters of wet sponges dropped toward a chosen line on the floor when a student is
standing in a chair.

Objectives: accuracy vs. precision, guided inquiry, group work, math review (mean, mode, median,
metric measures)

Pre-lab questions: Since this is my students’ first foray into developing a lab on their own, the pre-lab
questions are designed to get the students to think about the details they will need to consider
successfully planning and carrying out this lab. Question #2 was particularly important as most students
wanted to measure from the edge of a splatter. This meant that a splatter that landed near the line would
measure more accurate than a splatter that landed ON a line.

Materials: The water was dyed with a bit of food coloring to make it easier to see on the floor.

Post-lab questions: These are designed to have the students analyze the results.

Teacher analysis: The students enjoyed doing this lab. This is an effective, safe way to have the
students figure out the difference between accuracy and precision. It is also a straight forward
experiment for students to figure out the procedure in regards to guided inquiry.

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