CHEM 4581 DUE DURING YOUR LAB MEETING THE WEEK OF 2/16
Refer to the error analysis handout on the course web page http://www.colorado.edu/chem/chem4541/ under experimental handouts for help with these problems.
Problem 1. The current is determined in a circuit by measuring the voltage drop across two resistors in series.
a. If R l is a 300 ohm ( 5%) resistor and R 2 is a 100 ohm ( 1%) resistor and the voltmeter reads 2.5 Volts and is accurate to 0.01 Volts, what is the value of the current, i, and what is the maximum uncertainty (error) in i? (For resistors in series the total resistance is the sum of the individual resistances.) Use Ohm's law, E = iR, where E is the voltage, i is the current, and R is the resistance.
b. What contributes most to the standard deviation, the uncertainty in R 1 , the uncertainty in R 2 , or the uncertainty in E? Show how you arrived at that conclusion.
Problem 2. A sample of gas weighing 1.602 g occupies 224 mL at a pressure of 749 mm Hg and a temperature of 100.0 C. Calculate the molar mass (M) of the gas, using the ideal gas equation:
M = gRT / PV. (NEGLECT ERROR CALCULATION UNTIL PROBLEM #3)
Where g = mass in grams T = temperature in K P = pressure in atm V = volume in mL
Problem 3. Estimate the error in each of the variables and calculate the total error for Problem #2.
Problem 4. A student analyzing a sample compound for the percentage of bromine makes eight trials with the following results (if you omit any measurements you must justify your decision).
35.9, 37.0, 36.1, 36.3, 36.0, 36.3, 35.8, and 36.3 %
Calculate a. The arithmetic mean b. The average error c. The standard deviation d. The probable error
Problem 5. Find the error in k given by the equation k = A e -E/RT where A = (4.5 0.1) x 10 11 , E = 3.56 0.05 kcal/mole, and T = 27.0 0.5 C.
Problem 6. The rotational transitions of a diatomic molecule fit the relation v(J J + 1) = 2(J + 1)B 0 - 4(J + 1) D e where B 0 is the rotational constant for the ground rotational state (v = 0) and D e is the centrifugal distortion constant. For CO, rotational transitions originating in J levels 0 to 4 have been observed at 38.45, 76.90, 115.34, 153.79 and 192.22 cm -1 , respectively. Fit these data points to an equation using linear regression to find values for the rotational constant and for the centrifugal distortion constant. Give values for these parameters along with errors estimated from information give in the regression. Include a plot of your data and a copy of your spreadsheet with your solution.
Problem 7. In order to use any of the methods of graphical analysis, the variable being plotted must have a linear relationship. One of the "tricks", then, is to reformulate equations into a linear form. The following equation does not have a linear relationship between measured variables. Indicate how you would transform it and what you would plot to give a linear relationship so that the desired quantities could be found.
e ((A + BT)/T) = P
Measured variables are pressure, P, as a function of temperature, T. Solve for A and B. Which is the dependent variable and why?