Università Roma Tre

Physical quantities. Intensive and extensive physical quantities. Direct and indirect measurements.
Basic and derived quantities.
Units of measurement. Units of measurement systems. Change of units. Dimensions,
physical principle of homogeneity and dimensional analysis.
Measurement tools. Analogical and Digital Instruments.
Characteristics of the instruments: Range, Threshold, Resolution, Linearity and Sensitivity. Accuracy and Precision.
Uncertainty in measurements. Definition of measurement error. Random errors and
systematic errors. Concept of measurement uncertainty. Causes of uncertainties. Uncertainties of Type
A and Type B.
Graphical analysis of data. Usage of tables and graphs for representation and preliminary analysis
of data without the use of statistical tools. Linear, semi-logarithmic graphs,
Double-logarithmic. Histograms.
Propagation of uncertainties. Uncertainty in indirect measurements. Propagation
of uncertainties for independent quantities. Correlated random variables. Definition of
correlation coefficient. Propagation of uncertainties for correlated quantities.


Laboratory program
- Measurements of fundamental quantities: mass, length, time
- Determination of measurement uncertainty: sensitivity of the instrument,
- Standard deviation in repeated measurements, propagation of uncertainties
- Uncertainty on the average in repeated measurements and dependence on sample size
- Study of the pendulum: verification of the independence of the period from the mass, study of the dependence of the period on the length, measurement of g
- Study of the motion of a cart on the inclined plane, effect of friction, measurement of g
- Static and dynamic study of the elastic constant of a spring
- Measurement of resistances with voltamperometric method, study of a resistive voltage divider
- Study of diffraction, verification of Snell's law

notes distributed during the classes