Measuring the speed of water waves from distance and time
I can explain how to make measurements of distance and time to accurately measure the speed of water waves.
Measuring the speed of water waves from distance and time
I can explain how to make measurements of distance and time to accurately measure the speed of water waves.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The speed of water waves can be measured using measurements of distance travelled and time taken.
- Random errors are made when the method limits how accurate a measurement can be.
- The effect of random errors can be reduced by repeating readings and calculating a mean.
- The uncertainty in a mean result is calculated from half the range of the repeat measurements.
Keywords
Random error - A random error is caused by unpredictable factors that affect the measurement of a variable.
Uncertainty - Uncertainty is an estimate of how far from the true value a measurement might be. It is equal to half the range of repeat measurements.
Mean - The mean is calculated by adding each measurement and dividing by the number of measurements.
Anomalous result - An anomalous result is a measurement that is significantly different from the others. It should be crossed out and not used in calculating the mean.
Common misconception
Calculating a mean of repeat readings reduces (random) errors in measurements.
Calculating a mean reduces the effect that random errors have on a final result. The random errors in the original readings are unaffected.
Equipment
Content guidance
- Risk assessment required - equipment
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
Loading...
Starter quiz
6 Questions
metres (m)
seconds (s)
metres per second (m/s)