CHEM 1111 V.0914
General Chemistry Laboratory
Page
Error Analysis
It is simple to blame oneself or the materials for any errors in an experiment. A person who can competently assess a problem has to be able to critically review procedures and note what things could contribute to error and how significantly. This is especially important for required parts of the procedure that can produce errors outside of that person's control.
What limited the accuracy of each measurement you made in the procedure today? For each measurement, estimate the size of the error. (For example, using a standard 30 cm ruler to measure the length of an object, the best you could expect to make a measurement would be 0.5 cm (= 5 mm).)