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Uncertainty: Overview

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.

Propagation of Uncertainty from Random Error

Propagation of Uncertainty from Random Error

An experiment often consists of more than a single step. In this case, measurements at each step give rise to uncertainty. Because the measurements occur in successive steps, the uncertainty in one step necessarily contributes to that in the subsequent step. As we perform statistical analysis on these types of experiments, we must learn to account for the propagation of uncertainty from one step to the next. The propagation of uncertainty depends on the type of arithmetic operation performed on...

The Uncertainty Principle

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...

The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

Research is what makes the difference between facts and opinions. Facts are observable realities, and opinions are personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate. In the scientific community, facts can be established only using evidence collected through empirical research.

The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

The scientific method is a detailed, empirical problem-solving process used by biologists and other scientists. This iterative approach involves formulating a question based on observation, developing a testable potential explanation for the observation (called a hypothesis), making and testing predictions based on the hypothesis, and using the findings to create new hypotheses and predictions.Generally, predictions are tested using carefully-designed experiments. Based on the outcome of these...

The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

Chemistry is an empirical science. Scientists often pose questions to understand the chemistry in everyday life and seek answers to these questions. To achieve this, scientists follow a definitive series of steps that together make up the Scientific Method. This approach involves making observations, asking questions, building a hypothesis, conducting experiments, analyzing results, and forming a conclusion.

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Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Experimental Research Examining How People Can Cope with Uncertainty Through Soft Haptic Sensations

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Published on: September 16, 2015

[Ethics, empiricism and uncertainty].

R Porz¹, H Zimmermann, A K Exadaktylos

¹Universitäres Notfallzentrum - Department Anästhesie, Notfall- , Intensivmedizin Inselspital Bern - Universitätsspital, 3008 Bern, Switzerland.

Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift (1946)

|December 25, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Medical teams face professional uncertainty in emergency units during accidents. Acknowledging and communicating these uncertainties can lead to more ethical and prudent treatment decisions.

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Area of Science:

Medical Ethics
Clinical Decision-Making
Emergency Medicine

Context:

Accidents frequently create complex boundary situations in emergency units.
Medical teams encounter unavoidable professional uncertainty during critical decision-making.
Existential challenges in decision-making are often present in emergency care.

Purpose:

To explore the role and ethical value of professional uncertainty in medical decision-making.
To emphasize the importance of communicating uncertainty within medical teams.
To examine the limitations of evidence-based medicine in unique, tragic situations.

Summary:

Professional uncertainty is inherent in emergency medicine, particularly following accidents.
Communicating and acknowledging uncertainty, rather than suppressing it, is crucial for alert and prudent decision-making.
Uncertainty holds ethical significance in treatment and withdrawal of treatment decisions, extending beyond purely evidence-based arguments.

Impact:

Recognizing uncertainty can improve the quality and ethical grounding of medical decisions.
This perspective highlights the need for open communication about uncertainty in healthcare teams.
It suggests a framework for ethically navigating complex cases where evidence-based medicine may be insufficient.