The students took five results for the left hand and five results for the right hand - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 6 - 2016 - Paper 1

To find the average distance dropped for the right hand, we need to sum all the distances dropped in each trial and divide by the number of trials.

The distances dropped are as follows:

• Trial 1: 17.5 cm
• Trial 2: 16.1 cm
• Trial 3: 19.4 cm
• Trial 4: 18.6 cm
• Trial 5: 20.2 cm

Calculating the total distance dropped:

$$ext{Total} = 17.5 + 16.1 + 19.4 + 18.6 + 20.2 = 91.8 ext{ cm}$$

Now, divide the total by the number of trials (5):

$$ext{Average} = \frac{91.8}{5} = 18.36 ext{ cm}$$

To give the answer to 2 significant figures, we round 18.36 to 18 cm.