Question

A 50-mL beaker only has a scale that measures 10, 20, 30, and 40 mL. What is the uncertainty associated with the 50 mL beaker.

Answer 1

If the uncertainty of a certain measurement instrument is not given, then it is assumed to be equal to half of the least count of that instrument. In this case, the least count is 10 ml, so half of this is 5 ml. Therefore, the graduated cylinder has an uncertainty of +/- 5 ml