random error
Errors that affect each measurement differently
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To comment on precision and the impact of random errors on an experiment, we can use the r-squared value of a graph. This value can be found using a graphics calculator or Excel (just select it under the same menu where you display the equation of the trend line).
The closer this value is to 1, the less scatter there is (the data has higher precision and less random error). Note: only use this value for linear graphs. |
The video below discusses the correlation coefficient r. We square this value since we only want to know how scattered the points are, not whether the slope is positive or negative.
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