Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Uncertainty in Measurement: Accuracy and Precision03:37

Uncertainty in Measurement: Accuracy and Precision

113.5K
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. 
113.5K
The Uncertainty Principle04:08

The Uncertainty Principle

34.6K
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...
34.6K
Uncertainty: Overview00:59

Uncertainty: Overview

1.9K
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.
1.9K
Uncertainty in Measurement: Reading Instruments02:46

Uncertainty in Measurement: Reading Instruments

55.7K
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...
55.7K
Propagation of Uncertainty from Random Error00:59

Propagation of Uncertainty from Random Error

2.1K
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...
2.1K
Random and Systematic Errors01:20

Random and Systematic Errors

16.0K
Scientists always try their best to record measurements with the utmost accuracy and precision. However, sometimes errors do occur. These errors can be random or systematic. Random errors are observed due to the inconsistency or fluctuation in the measurement process, or variations in the quantity itself that is being measured. Such errors fluctuate from being greater than or less than the true value in repeated measurements. Consider a scientist measuring the length of an earthworm using a...
16.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Unconventional Crystal Structure of the High-Pressure Superconductor La_{3}Ni_{2}O_{7}.

Physical review letters·2024
Same author

Mott insulators with boundary zeros.

Nature communications·2023
Same author

Distinct spin and orbital dynamics in Sr<sub>2</sub>RuO<sub>4</sub>.

Nature communications·2023
Same author

Response to "Comment on 'Spin- and angle-resolved inverse photoemission setup with spin orientation independent from electron incidence angle'" [Rev. Sci. Instrum. 93, 093904 (2022)].

The Review of scientific instruments·2023
Same author

Spin- and angle-resolved inverse photoemission setup with spin orientation independent from electron incidence angle.

The Review of scientific instruments·2022
Same author

A new benchmark of soft X-ray transition energies of <math></math> , <math></math> , and <math></math> : paving a pathway towards ppm accuracy.

The European physical journal. D, Atomic, molecular, and optical physics·2022

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 26, 2026

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

8.9K

Uncertainty principle for experimental measurements: Fast versus slow probes.

P Hansmann1,2, T Ayral1,3, A Tejeda4

  • 1Centre de Physique Théorique, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Saclay, 91128 Palaiseau, France.

Scientific Reports
|February 3, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Experimental findings in solid-state systems depend on measurement time scales. This study resolves contradictory results in adatom systems by considering fluctuation time scales near instabilities.

More Related Videos

Experimental Research Examining How People Can Cope with Uncertainty Through Soft Haptic Sensations
09:07

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

Published on: September 16, 2015

9.5K
Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident
09:18

Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident

Published on: December 14, 2017

11.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 26, 2026

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

8.9K
Experimental Research Examining How People Can Cope with Uncertainty Through Soft Haptic Sensations
09:07

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

Published on: September 16, 2015

9.5K
Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident
09:18

Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident

Published on: December 14, 2017

11.1K

Area of Science:

  • Solid-state physics
  • Quantum mechanics
  • Materials science

Background:

  • Physical measurement outcomes are influenced by the experimental probe's time scale.
  • In solid-state systems, interacting degrees of freedom near instabilities and varying fluctuation timescales can cause conflicting experimental observations.
  • Adatom systems on semiconductor surfaces exhibit different ordering phenomena across various experimental techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To resolve apparent contradictions in experimental findings for adatom systems on semiconductor surfaces.
  • To explain how different experimental techniques suggest disparate ordering phenomena.
  • To provide a unified framework for understanding ordering phenomena in solid-state systems.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized advanced first-principles many-body techniques.
  • Analyzed the time scales of fluctuations near charge, spin, and orbital instabilities.
  • Investigated systems of adatoms adsorbed on semiconductor surfaces.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated that the time scale of experimental probes dictates measurement outcomes.
  • Resolved discrepancies between angle-resolved photoemission, scanning tunneling microscopy, and core-level spectroscopy findings.
  • Identified the critical role of fluctuation time scales in determining observed ordering phenomena.

Conclusions:

  • The time scale of experimental probes is crucial for interpreting results in solid-state systems.
  • A re-interpretation of ordering phenomena and fluctuations is proposed for various solid-state materials.
  • Findings have implications for understanding phenomena in organic materials and high-temperature superconductors.