IB Physics SL 6.5.3 Data quality Question Bank
Practise IB Physics SL/HL 6.5.3 by applying data quality concepts to exam-style physics questions.
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2025
- Course
- Physics SL
- Level
- SL
Practise IB Physics SL/HL 6.5.3 by applying data quality concepts to exam-style physics questions.
A group of students uses pressurized air to move a piston that forces a nail into a block of wood. A gauge is used to measure the pressure P of compressed air above atmospheric pressure. The nail enters the wood perpendicular to its surface.

The students use a ruler to measure the length of the nail which remains above the surface of the wood as shown. The depth of the nail inside the wood is d. All necessary length measurements are recorded using a ruler with uncertainty ±1 mm.

The students collect only one value of d for each value of P. Suggest why this is a poor method.
«One/less trial(s)» does not consider «random» uncertainty/error/accuracy
OR
«One/less trial(s)» does not consider outliers/irregularities/inconsistencies/variations/differences «in wood or nails»
OR
Collecting/averaging multiple trials can evaluate/reduce the uncertainty/error