Absolute Uncertainty

[cronus]

The truth would terrify you. Things are not as they appear. The reality you subscribe to is uncertain in a million million ways you overlook.

[JimC]

In physics, the absolute uncertainty of a measurement (e.g. 20 mm + or – 0.3 mm) is an important feature of that measurement. It is often converted into % uncertainty (+ or – 1.5 % in that case)

[cronus]

In physics, the absolute uncertainty of a measurement (e.g. 20 mm + or – 0.3 mm) is an important feature of that measurement. It is often converted into % uncertainty (+ or – 1.5 % in that case)

That's a calibration error sort of thing.

[piscator]

Incommensurable systems.
Any system of measurement is an abstraction, a reification. Reality is not.
Any measurement of anything can be considered wrong, because it always is. We can only approximate.

[mistermack]

Incommensurable systems.
Any system of measurement is an abstraction, a reification. Reality is not.
Any measurement of anything can be considered wrong, because it always is. We can only approximate.

Except a stopped clock that is exactly right twice a day?

[klr]

Can you even have absolute uncertainty?

[JimC]

In physics, the absolute uncertainty of a measurement (e.g. 20 mm + or – 0.3 mm) is an important feature of that measurement. It is often converted into % uncertainty (+ or – 1.5 % in that case)

That's a calibration error sort of thing.

It is not any sort of error whatsoever. It is simply a reflection of the inevitable design limitations of any device that measures a quantity in the real world. A higher level of precision implies correspondingly lower (but never zero) levels of uncertainty in a given measurement.

[JimC]

In physics, the absolute uncertainty of a measurement (e.g. 20 mm + or – 0.3 mm) is an important feature of that measurement. It is often converted into % uncertainty (+ or – 1.5 % in that case)

That's a calibration error sort of thing.

It is not any sort of error whatsoever. It is simply a reflection of the inevitable design limitations of any device that measures a quantity in the real world. A higher level of precision implies correspondingly lower (but never zero) levels of uncertainty in a given measurement.

[pErvinalia]

The truth would terrify you. Things are not as they appear. The reality you subscribe to is uncertain in a million million ways you overlook.

What's "truth" and "reality"? We don't know. As long as the sun keeps coming up in the morning and when you stub your toe on a rock it hurts, then the world is functioning ok.

[Hermit]

^^^ Ayup.

[pErvinalia]

I wish scumple would stop starting and then abandoning these threads. Instead of starting doom/ebola thread after doom/ebola thread, why not just stick to one or two and then get a good discussion going?

[cronus]

Keeping you all on a low boil whilst I ready the next experiment.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

Any measurement of anything can be considered wrong, because it always is. We can only approximate.

So, approximately, how many penises do you have? To the nearest 100 will suffice...

[JimC]

Any measurement of anything can be considered wrong, because it always is. We can only approximate.

So, approximately, how many penises do you have? To the nearest 100 will suffice...

A whole number count is not a measurement...

But Piscator's use of the word "wrong" is not appropriate. All that needs to be said is that, for more than one reason, any measurement of a continuous quantity in the physical universe cannot be an absolute number with no uncertainty. A statement of a measurement with correctly generated uncertainty values is as right as it gets...

[pErvinalia]

Keeping you all on a low boil whilst I ready the next experiment.

Maybe you can synthesise the results of your experiments so far? I'd love to see what the alleged point of it all is.