Question

Indicate whether it is systematic or random error. Explain your answer for each.

a. A student leaves the doors to the balance open while she weighs out .007 grams of sucrose.

b. A student mistakenly thinks that he should read the meniscus in the graduated cylinder at the top of the edges rather than the bottom of the curve.

Answer 1

a. It is a random error that inflicts immeasurable fluctuations in the data by unknown negative as well as positive errors depending upon the air turbulence around the balance area as the sample weight is quite low and influence of turbulence is felt in great magnitudes then.

b. It is a systematic error a there always occurs a constant quantizable increase in the volume recorded to the actual volume, which corresponds to the invariable volume difference between the upper and lower meniscus in that particular measuring cylinder for that solution.