A teacher measures the volume of a leaf by placing it in a measuring cylinder of water. They take the two measurements shown in the diagram. The uncertainty of the scale is half of the smallest divisions shown on the scale. What is the volume of the leaf, including the correct level of uncertainty?

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A teacher measures the volume of a leaf by placing it in a measuring cylinder of water - OCR Gateway - GCSE Biology - Question 13 - 2022 - Paper 1

Question 13

A teacher measures the volume of a leaf by placing it in a measuring cylinder of water. They take the two measurements shown in the diagram. The uncertainty of the... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:A teacher measures the volume of a leaf by placing it in a measuring cylinder of water - OCR Gateway - GCSE Biology - Question 13 - 2022 - Paper 1

Step 1

Determine the Water Levels

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Answer

From the diagram, the water level without the leaf is at 70 cm³ and the water level with the leaf is at 54 cm³.

Step 2

Calculate the Volume of the Leaf

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Answer

The volume of the leaf can be calculated by subtracting the initial water level from the final water level:

$V_{leaf} = V_{with leaf} - V_{without leaf}$

Substituting the measured values gives:

$V_{leaf} = 70 ext{ cm}^3 - 54 ext{ cm}^3 = 16 ext{ cm}^3$

Step 3

Determine the Uncertainty

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Answer

The uncertainty is half of the smallest division. If the scale's smallest division is 0.2 cm³, then:

$Uncertainty = \frac{0.2}{2} = 0.1 ext{ cm}^3$

Step 4

Combine the Volume and Uncertainty

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Answer

The final volume of the leaf, including the uncertainty, is:

$Volume = 16 ext{ cm}^3 \pm 0.1 ext{ cm}^3$

Thus, the possible answers provided are:

A: 20 ± 0.1 cm³
B: 20 ± 0.2 cm³
C: 20 ± 1 cm³
D: 20 ± 2 cm³

Considering the calculations, the correct answer must be C: 20 ± 1 cm³, where 1 cm³ is derived from the scaled volume or interpretation of data scale on estimates.

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A teacher measures the volume of a leaf by placing it in a measuring cylinder of water - OCR Gateway - GCSE Biology - Question 13 - 2022 - Paper 1

Worked Solution & Example Answer:A teacher measures the volume of a leaf by placing it in a measuring cylinder of water - OCR Gateway - GCSE Biology - Question 13 - 2022 - Paper 1

Determine the Water Levels

Calculate the Volume of the Leaf

Determine the Uncertainty

Combine the Volume and Uncertainty

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