Measurement and Error Quiz

A scientist is measuring the length of a metal rod. He repeats the measurement several times and finds that all his measurements are very close to each other, but not close to the actual length of the rod. What aspect of his measurements is being highlighted?

• Accuracy

• Precision

• Error

• Validity

During an experiment, a student records the time it takes for a pendulum to complete one full swing. The unit she should use to record this time is:

• Minute

• Hour

• Second

• Millisecond

A physicist needs to measure the electric current passing through a circuit. Which unit should she use?

• Volt

• Ampere

• Ohm

• Coulomb

A construction engineer is dealing with large-scale structures. When expressing the length of a bridge, which prefix representing a factor of 10^6 would be most appropriate?

• Kilo-

• Mega-

• Giga-

• Tera-

A laboratory technician is recording the weight of a chemical sample repeatedly and gets nearly the same results every time. What term best describes these results?

• Accuracy

• Precision

• Calibration

• Reliability

In an experiment, a student measures a very small mass and records it as 0.000034 kg. How should this mass be expressed in scientific notation?

• 3.4 x 10^-5 kg

• 34 x 10^-6 kg

• 0.34 x 10^-4 kg

• 3.4 x 10^5 g

A researcher finds that her measurements are all close to each other but differ significantly from the actual value. How should she evaluate her data in terms of accuracy and precision?

• High accuracy, low precision

• High precision, low accuracy

• Both high accuracy and precision

• Both low accuracy and precision

In physics class, a student calculates the force exerted on an object using the formula F = ma. What is the standard unit for force she should use in her answer?

• Joule

• Watt

• Newton

• Pascal

An engineer needs to convert the mass of an object from kilograms to grams. If the object has a mass of 1.5 kg, which of the following is the correct conversion?

• 150 g

• 1500 g

• 15 g

• 0.15 g

A runner tracks her distance in a race using a GPS device that measures in kilometers. How should she convert 5 kilometers to meters?

• 500 m

• 5000 m

• 50 m

• 5 m