Question

Question 1

1. You find that statistical uncertainty is your largest measurement uncertainty and that the IV value is your largest propagated uncertainty. How can you try to improve both uncertainties in the simplest, but most effective way?

   		Choose from these answers start over to collect the same number of DV measurements as before, but at a greater variety of IV data points than before
   		take more measurements for the DV values at the IV data points already measured
   		collect DV data for new IV data points
   		take more measurements for the DV value at the IV data points already collected and add more IV data points
   		use a new DV instrument to take more  DV measurements for the  IVdata points already collected and collect additional DV data for more IV data points not previously measured
   		use a new IV instrument but the same DV instrument to collect the same number of measurements at a wider variety of IV data points
   		use a new IV instrument but the same DV instrument to collect more DV measurements than before at the same IV data points

Answer 1

All the options mentioned above have relative effectiveness when compared to one another

Option 1: Start over to collect the same number of DV measurements as before, but at a greater variety of IV data points than before, is not likely to reduce the statistical uncertainties or the measurement and adding greater variety of data would likely increase the statistical uncertainty, so this is not an effective option.

Option 2: Take more measurements for the DV values at the IV data points already measured, is a viable option because when the number of observation or the quantity of data available increases the uncertainties associated with the measured value decrease. The difference between the upper and lower limits becomes less all this is valid only if the accuracy of the measuring instrument remains same during the period of measurements.

Option 3: Collect DV data for new IV data points, this is a better option only if the accuracy of the measuring device has been improved for measuring the data in this new trail. Otherwise, measuring the values again and determining the statistical uncertainty would not likely to yield a different result.

Option 4: Take more measurements for the DV value at the IV data points already collected and add more IV data points, as discussed in option 2, this is a viable option because when the number of observation or the quantity of data available increases the uncertainties associated with the measured value decrease. The difference between the upper and lower limits becomes less all this is valid only if the accuracy of the measuring instrument remains same during the period of measurements.

Option 5: use a new DV instrument to take more  DV measurements for the  IVdata points already collected and collect additional DV data for more IV data points not previously measured, using a new DV instrument for taking more DV measurements would prove effective only if its accuracy is better as compared to previous DV measuring instrument and collecting additional data for more IV data points previously not measured is likely to reduce the statistical uncertainties.

Option 6 : use a new IV instrument but the same DV instrument to collect the same number of measurements at a wider variety of IV data points, the usefulness of this option depends on which instruments contributes to the statistical uncertainty, if the DV instrument is producing the error in measurement the using a new IV instrument would not likely to change the results. On the other hand, if a faulty IV instrument has been replaced with a new IV instrument with better accuracy then it would produce better results even for a wider variety of IV data points.

Option 7: use a new IV instrument but the same DV instrument to collect more DV measurements than before at the same IV data points, the same argument as option 6 would apply here also.