Name: Muskan Fatima
Roll Number: CHEM51F21S025
Class: BS Chemistry (Self-Support)
Semester: 6th
Assignment of Analytical Chemistry
Submitted To: Sir Faisal Sibtain
Topic: Error and Its Types
Error:
An error may be defined as the difference between the measured and actual
values. For example, if the two operators use the same device or instrument
for measurement. It is not necessary that both operators get similar results.
The difference between the measurements is referred to as an ERROR.
To understand the concept of measurement errors, you should know the two
terms that define the error. They are true value and measured value.
Types of Errors:
There are three types of errors that are classified based on the source they
arise from; They are:
Gross Errors
Random Errors
Systematic Errors
Gross Errors
This category basically takes into account human oversight and other
mistakes while reading, recording, and readings. The most common human
error in measurement falls under this category of measurement errors. For
example, the person taking the reading from the meter of the instrument
may read 23 as 28. Gross errors can be avoided by using two suitable
measures, and they are written below:
Proper care should be taken in reading, recording the data. Also, the
calculation of error should be done accurately.
By increasing the number of experimenters, we can reduce the gross
errors. If each experimenter takes different readings at different
points, then by taking the average of more readings, we can reduce
the gross errors
Random Errors
The random errors are those errors, which occur irregularly and hence are
random. These can arise due to random and unpredictable fluctuations in
experimental conditions (Example: unpredictable fluctuations in
temperature, voltage supply, mechanical vibrations of experimental set-ups,
etc, errors by the observer taking readings, etc. For example, when the same
person repeats the same observation, he may likely get different readings
every time.
Systematic Errors:
Systematic errors can be better understood if we divide them into
subgroups; They are:
Environmental Errors
Observational Errors
Instrumental Errors
Environmental Errors: This type of error arises in the measurement
due to the effect of the external conditions on the measurement. The
external condition includes temperature, pressure, and humidity and
can also include an external magnetic field. If you measure your
temperature under the armpits and during the measurement, if the
electricity goes out and the room gets hot, it will affect your body
temperature, affecting the reading.
Observational Errors: These are the errors that arise due to an
individual’s bias, lack of proper setting of the apparatus, or an
individual’s carelessness in taking observations. The measurement
errors also include wrong readings due to Parallax errors.
Instrumental Errors: These errors arise due to faulty construction
and calibration of the measuring instruments. Lots of the time, the
equipment being used is faulty due to misuse or neglect, which
changes the reading of the equipment. The zero error is a very
common type of error. This error is common in devices like Vernier
callipers and screw gauges. The zero error can be either positive or
negative. Sometimes the scale readings are worn off, which can also
lead to a bad reading.
Errors Calculation:
Different measures of errors include:
Absolute Error:
The difference between the measured value of a quantity and its actual
value gives the absolute error. It is the variation between the actual values
and measured values. It is given by
Absolute error = |VA-VE|
Percent Error:
It is another way of expressing the error in measurement. This calculation
allows us to gauge how accurate a measured value is with respect to the
true value. Percent error is given by the formula
Percentage error (%) = (VA-VE) / VE) x 100
Relative Error:
The ratio of the absolute error to the accepted measurement gives the
relative error. The relative error is given by the formula:
Relative Error = Absolute error / Actual value