A student investigated the properties of a spring using the apparatus shown.
The student determined the time period T of the oscillations of the mass-spring system.
The student displaced the mass downwards. He released the mass so that the mass oscillated vertically. He used a stopwatch to measure the time for multiple oscillations.
Determine the percentage uncertainty in the mean value of T.
Percentage uncertainty =
Use half range or the value furthest from the mean. Half range = (6.96 − 6.84) s / 2 = 0.06 s. Percentage uncertainty = 0.06/6.90 × 100 = 0.87% = 0.9%.