The big idea
📏
A number without its uncertainty is unfinished
"46%" and "46% ±3" support entirely different conclusions.
Scientific Thinking · Lesson 6
Measurement and Uncertainty
beginner⏱ 17 min · 7 cards
Compare
Two different virtues
Precision
Consistent
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Accuracy
Correct
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Precise and inaccurate is the dangerous combination — consistency looks like reliability.
Try it
Read the Error Bars
“A: 47% ±3 · B: 44% ±3”
Do these results establish a difference?
Decide which reported differences the data actually supports.
Key term
The error more data cannot fix
Why does averaging not remove systematic error?
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Systematic error
Every reading is shifted the same way. More measurements make a wrong answer more precise — only finding the cause fixes it.
Nuance
Mars, 1999
Maester Note
The Mars Climate Orbiter was lost to a units mismatch — pound-force where newtons were expected. Every figure was internally exact and uniformly wrong.
Quick check
What single question best tests whether a claim is scientific?
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