Since Galileo Galilei is considered the father of experimental physics, we honor him by offering this simple yet innovative way of teaching about experimental errors. Errors are different from mistakes.
Errors are inherently part of all measurements.
On this Webpage we will summarize various types of errors. We will also explore how to minimize errors and why errors cannot be eliminated completely. A semi- mathematical procedure to determine the reasonableness of experimental results will be developed. Using the procedure presented on this Webpage, the beginning students of physics will be able to check their experimental results. Finally, accuracy and precision will be defined and the students will be led in a discussion of the sources of errors in experiments.