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Related Concept Videos

Uncertainty: Overview00:59

Uncertainty: Overview

In analytical chemistry, we often perform repetitive measurements to detect and minimize inaccuracies caused by both determinate and indeterminate errors. Despite the cares we take, the presence of random errors means that repeated measurements almost never have exactly the same magnitude. The collective difference between these measurements - observed values - and the estimated or expected value is called uncertainty. Uncertainty is conventionally written after the estimated or expected value.
The Uncertainty Principle04:08

The Uncertainty Principle

Werner Heisenberg considered the limits of how accurately one can measure properties of an electron or other microscopic particles. He determined that there is a fundamental limit to how accurately one can measure both a particle’s position and its momentum simultaneously. The more accurate the measurement of the momentum of a particle is known, the less accurate the position at that time is known and vice versa. This is what is now called the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. He mathematically...
Propagation of Uncertainty from Systematic Error01:10

Propagation of Uncertainty from Systematic Error

The atomic mass of an element varies due to the relative ratio of its isotopes. A sample's relative proportion of oxygen isotopes influences its average atomic mass. For instance, if we were to measure the atomic mass of oxygen from a sample, the mass would be a weighted average of the isotopic masses of oxygen in that sample. Since a single sample is not likely to perfectly reflect the true atomic mass of oxygen for all the molecules of oxygen on Earth, the mass we obtain from this particular...
Uncertainty in Measurement: Accuracy and Precision03:37

Uncertainty in Measurement: Accuracy and Precision

Scientists typically make repeated measurements of a quantity to ensure the quality of their findings and to evaluate both the precision and the accuracy of their results. Measurements are said to be precise if they yield very similar results when repeated in the same manner. A measurement is considered accurate if it yields a result that is very close to the true or the accepted value. Precise values agree with each other; accurate values agree with a true value.
Uncertainty in Measurement: Reading Instruments02:46

Uncertainty in Measurement: Reading Instruments

Counting is the type of measurement that is free from uncertainty, provided the number of objects being counted does not change during the process. Such measurements result in exact numbers. By counting the eggs in a carton, for instance, one can determine exactly how many eggs are there in the carton. Similarly, the numbers of defined quantities are also exact. For example, 1 foot is exactly 12 inches, 1 inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters, and 1 gram is exactly 0.001 kilograms. Quantities...
Significant Figures in Calculations00:58

Significant Figures in Calculations

Uncertainty in measurements can be avoided by reporting the results of a calculation with the correct number of significant figures. This can be determined by the following rules for rounding numbers:

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Split Point Analysis and Uncertainty Quantification of Thermal-Optical Organic/Elemental Carbon Measurements
10:22

Split Point Analysis and Uncertainty Quantification of Thermal-Optical Organic/Elemental Carbon Measurements

Published on: September 7, 2019

Uncertainty in chemistry.

Fredric M Menger1

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA. menger@emory.edu

Nature Chemistry
|August 24, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Some chemistry questions may remain unanswered, similar to uncertainties in physics and mathematics. This perspective challenges traditional scientific inquiry, suggesting inherent limits to chemical knowledge.

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Area of Science:

  • Chemistry
  • Scientific Philosophy

Background:

  • The pursuit of definitive answers is central to scientific endeavors.
  • Historically, science has strived to resolve all empirical and theoretical questions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the inherent limitations in chemical knowledge.
  • To discuss the possibility of certain chemistry questions remaining permanently unanswered.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of the nature of scientific inquiry.
  • Philosophical reflection on the boundaries of knowledge in chemistry.

Main Results:

  • Acknowledges that, like in physics and mathematics, some questions in chemistry may be fundamentally unknowable.
  • Suggests that accepting these limitations is a realistic aspect of scientific progress.

Conclusions:

  • The field of chemistry, like other sciences, may have inherent boundaries to complete understanding.
  • Embraces the idea that not all scientific questions may yield definitive answers.