Mathematics and Science

S 8.9.b Evaluate the accuracy and How Many Marbles Are There?
reproducibility of data. 1. Your teacher will give you a jar full
of marbles.
What math skills do scientists use
in collecting data and making 2. With a partner, come up with a way to
measurements? determine the number of marbles in the
jar without actually counting all of them.
Key Terms 3. Use your method to determine the
• estimate number of marbles. Write down your
• accuracy answer.
• reproducibility 4. Compare the method you used to that of
• significant figures another group.
• precision Think It Over
Predicting Which method do you think led to a more
accurate answer? Why?

What are some tools that scientists use? You might think of
microscopes, thermometers, and calculators. There are also sci­
entific tools that you won't find on a lab bench. Curiosity, skep­
ticism, creativity-these are attitudes that serve as useful tools
in scientific inquiry. Knowledge is another important tool. One
form of knowledge that is particularly useful in the study of sci­
ence is mathematics. Mathematics is essential for asking and
answering questions about the material world.

Estimation
Have you ever been on stage and wondered how many people
there were in the audience? Maybe you counted the number of
people in one row and multiplied by the number of rows. This
would be one way to arrive at an estimate. An estimate is an
approximation of a number based on reasonable assumptions.
Estimating is not the same as guessing because an estimate is
nline based on known information.
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Scientists must sometimes rely on estimates when they
cannot obtain exact numbers. Astronomers, for example, can't
For: Links on math and science actually measure the distance between stars. An astronomer's
Visit: www.SciLinks.org
Web Code: scn-1622
estimate might be based on indirect measurements, calcula­
tions, and models.
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Accuracy and Reproducibility
Suppose you were to meet a friend at 4:00 P.M. Your friend
arrives at 4: 15 and says, "But it's 4:00 according to all the
clocks in my house." The problem is that your friend's
clocks do not show the accurate, or correct, time.
Accuracy refers to how close a measurement is to the true
or actual value. An accurate clock would read 4:00 P.M.
Your friend's clocks may be working properly, but because
they are set 15 minutes late, they are always inaccurate.

Reproducibility What would happen if you never told

your friend that he was late? Your friend would always be late
by 15 minutes. If the two of you tried to meet at 4:00 P.M. on
consecutive days, your friend would arrive at 4:15 P.M. each _. Neither Reproducible nor Accurate
day. Your friend's clocks may be inaccurate, but when used for
repeated measurements, they yield consistent results.
The times measured with your friend's clocks can be
said to be reproducible. Reproducibility refers to how
close a group of measurements are to each other.
Accuracy and reproducibility do not mean the same
thing. To help you understand the difference, think about a
game of darts. As Figure 17 shows, accurate throws land
close to the bull's-eye. Reproducible throws, on the other
hand, land close to one another. Your friend's clocks show
times that are reproducible but inaccurate, like the
arrangement of darts in the middle dartboard.

Accuracy and Reproducibility in Measurements

Suppose you want to measure your friend's height. The
measurement needs to be accurate, or close to your friend's _. Reproducible but Not Accurate
actual height. The measurement also needs to be reproduc­
ible. This means that if you measured your friend's height
several times, you would get the same measurement again
and again.
Scientists aim for both accuracy and reproducibil­
ity in their measurements. To ensure accuracy, you need
to make your measurements carefully using the appropri­
ate instruments. To ensure reproducibility, you need to
repeat the measurement a few times.

FIGURE 17
Accuracy and Reproducibility
In a game of darts, it's easy to see the difference
between accurate throws and reproducible
throws. In order to hit the bull's-eye consistently,
you need both accuracy and reproducibility! _. Both Reproducible and Accurate

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 I am certain of the "5" but
am estimating the "3."
Therefore, my measurement
can be expressed to only
two significant figures, 5.3 cm.

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Significant Figures and Precision

Figure 18 shows a tile next to a ruler marked off in I-centi­
meter segments. Suppose you measure the length of the tile as
5.3 centimeters. This measurement has two digits that are
"significant." The significant figures in a measurement include
all of the digits that have been measured exactly, plus one digit
whose value has been estimated. In measuring the tile to be
5.3 centimeters long, you are certain of the 5, but you have
estimated the 3. So, the measurement 5.3 centimeters has two
significant figures.
What if the ruler had been marked off in I-millimeter seg­
FIGURE 18 ments? You would be able to make a more precise measurement.
Significant Figures Precision is a measure of the exactness of a measurement. With
A measurement should contain a more precise ruler, you might measure the length of the tile as
only those numbers that are
significant. Measuring Why can
5.32 centimeters. The measurement 5.32 centimeters (three sig­
you report the length of the tile to nificant figures) is more precise than 5.3 centimeters (two signif­
only two significant figures? icant figures). Scientists use significant figures to express
precision in their measurements and calculations.

Adding or Subtracting When you add or subtract measure­

ments, the answer should have the same number of decimal
places as the measurement with the least number of decimal
places. For example, suppose you add a tile that is 5.3 centi­
Area meters long to a row of tiles that is 21.94 centimeters long.
To find the area of a surface,
5.3 cm (1 decimal place)
multiply its length by its
+ 21.94 cm (2 decimal places)
width. Suppose a sheet of
paper measures 27.5 cm by 27.24 cm = 27.2 (1 decimal place)
21.6 cm.
In this calculation, the measurement with the least number
Area = 27.5 cm x 21.6 cm
of decimal places is 5.3 centimeters (one decimal place). So the
= 594 cm 2 answer, 27.2 centimeters, should be written to only one decimal
Practice Problem What is the place. The correct answer has three significant figures.
area of a ticket stub that
Reading .
measures 3.5 cm by 2.2 cm? -� 1 Wh at are s1gm. 1.1cant f'1gures..,
Checkpoi�

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' The length "2.25 rn" has
three significant figures,
I
while the width "3 rn" has one.
Therefore, my answer can have
only one significant figure.
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Multiplying or Dividing When multiplying or dividing

measurements, the answer should have the same number of FIGURE 19
significant figures as the measurement with the least number Multiplying Measurements
of significant figures. Suppose you need to tile a space that mea­ When you multiply
sures 2.25 meters by 3 meters. The calculated area would be: measurements, your answer can
have only the same number of
significant figures as the
2.25 m (3 significant figures) measurement with the fewest
x 3 m (1 significant figure) significant figures.
6.75 m 2 = 7 m 2 (1 significant figure)

The answer has one significant figure because the measure­

ment with the least number of significant figures (3 meters)
has one significant figure.

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Section . 4 Assessment S 8.9.b, E-LA: Reading 8.1.0,

Math: 7MG2.1

Vocabulary Skill High-Use Academic Words What is the

meaning of the word significant in the term significant figures?
Reviewing Key Concepts
2. Area To win a prize at a fair, you
1. a. Identifying What math skill do scientists rely on when
must throw a coin into a space
they cannot obtain exact numbers?
that is 7.0 cm long and 4.0 cm
b. Explaining How can you be sure that your wide. What is the area of the
measurements are both accurate and reproducible? space you are aiming for?
c. Interpreting Data Using a metric ruler with millimeter Express your answer to the
markings, a friend measures the width of a book to be correct number of significant
14.23 cm. How many digits can you be certain of? figures.
Explain.

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