Unit 1 Theory - Measurements and Significant Figures Collingwood Chemistry
1.2: Measurements in Chemistry
As an introduction to measurements and significant figures, a clarification about precision and accuracy is important.
By definition, precision is about the repeatability of a series of measurements, or in other words, the size of the range of
possible values that a series of measurements falls into. Consider the following two systems:
System 1: Beaker System 2: Graduated Cylinder
For the beaker, we see the volume is about 35 mL. For the graduated cylinder, the volume is about 34.95 mL. But the
“about” for the beaker is a bigger range than the “about” for the graduated cylinder. The beaker is said to be less precise
than the graduated cylinder. In a measurement, a larger number of decimal places translates into a value that is more
precise. As long as the units of two measurements are the same (both mL in this case) the one with more decimal places
is more precise. Precision is an indication of the range of possible values our measuring device is giving us. For the
beaker we are sure the volume is between 30 and 40 mL. For the graduated cylinder, we are sure the volume is between
34.9 and 35.0 mL. The range for the beaker is larger than the range for the cylinder.
An analogy is an archery target. Precision for this analogy is how close the arrows are clustered together.
not precise precise
The arrows in the first image are not close together – there is a bigger range of difference between the placement of the
arrows than there is in the second.
Translating this analogy to chemistry, if two measurements have more decimal places, we can see more clearly how close
they are to each other. Using the analogy above, if we report a value of 35 mL, it is read by all as being less precise than
if we report a value of 34.95 mL.
I’m guessing you are noticing, though, that precise is not necessarily good! We can have precise measurements, but that
does not mean that they are accurate. We define accuracy as how close a measured value is to the actual value. In a
large number of cases though, the actual value is not known. When we do have an actual value, the ideal is to make
measurements that are both accurate AND precise.
Unit 1 Theory - Measurements and Significant Figures Collingwood Chemistry
Consider the following systems:
“accurate” (on average) but not precise accurate and precise
In many cases, in order to determine the actual or best measurement, we take the measurement many times and take
an average. In some cases the result for imprecise measurements can yield an accurate value. In the first diagram,
“accurate” is in quotations because the average result for these 5 arrows would be a value right on the bull’s eye. In the
second, the average is also on the bull’s eye, but there is still clearly a difference between these two systems. For the
first (again using the example above) we would report an average value of 35 mLs if many different students were all
given the same volume of water and the same beakers, even if there was a range of values between 33 and 37 mLs in the
measurements. For the second, we would report an average value of 34.95 mLs if many students were all given the
same volume of water and the same graduated cylinders. If the actual volume turned out to be 35.0 mLs (suppose there
is something wrong with the lines on the graduated cylinder making it inaccurate), the less precise value would turn out
to be more accurate, since the measured value is closer to the actual value!
There are a large number of instruments that are used in chemistry to make measurements. It is important to report
things we measure in a way that everyone understands the precision of the measurement we are making.
In any properly made measurement, the last recorded decimal placement is an estimation based on the “smallest scale
division”, or the distance between the two lines on a measuring device (10 mLs for the beaker above, 0.1 mLs for the
cylinder). Because of this estimation, the measurement is uncertain. Chemists have decided that it is reasonable to be
able to make an estimate of 1/5 (or 0.2) of the smallest scale division. Because everyone should be able to estimate to
the nearest fifth, when recording a value, you are allowed to record your best guess for ONE digit only. Using the beaker
above again, since one fifth of 10 mls (the smallest scale division) is 2 mLs, the range of possible values then, is 35 +/- 2
mLs. We can thus say with all confidence that the actual value is somewhere between 33 and 37 mLs. For the cylinder,
we can say the volume is somewhere between 34.93 and 34.97 mLs. In the first the range is 4 mLs, in the second 0.04
mLs.
Use the following as an example:
If we were to measure the length of the black line and report it correctly, we should be able to say something more than
that it is a little over 10.5 cm. Here is how it is done.
The smallest scale division here is 0.5 cm (each of the lines are 0.5 cm apart) so our error should be listed as 1/5 of 0.5
cm, which is 0.1 cm.
In this case, we would report the value to be 10.6 cm. Reading this value everyone knows that the 0.6 part is an
estimate. This value tells the person reading your data that you are absolutely sure that the actual length of the line is
somewhere between 10.5 and 10.7 cm long since the lines are 0.5 cms apart.
Unit 1 Theory - Measurements and Significant Figures Collingwood Chemistry
Another way of saying this is that whoever the person measuring is, anyone (and everyone) would report the value to be
somewhere between 10.5 cm and 10.7 cm. We are, however, guessing a bit on the .6 part. Our uncertainty is in the
tenths place holder.
