Bryant High School

SCIENCE AP

Introduction
It would be hard to overstate the importance of taking proper measurements in a science lab. The goal
of most of the experiments that you perform this year will be to compare the results of calculations or
measurements to some known number. Obviously, these calculations can only be as accurate as the
measurements that they are based on. For this reason, you must take each measurement to the maximum
accuracy allowed by the instrument you use. The accuracy of each measurement is limited by two things; the
limitations of the instrument, and the care of the experimenter. You must also make sure that you don't
accidentally claim that a measurement or calculation is more accurate than it actually is.
Procedure
A. Measuring Length
1. Measure the length of the two objects below using centimeters. Don’t forget to measure to one place of
uncertainty (estimate one decimal place beyond the actual measurement). Type your answer in the
space provided. Include cm as the units.