Mathematics and

Science
Chapter 2 Section 2

The Relationship Between Math and

Science
Biolog
y
Chemistry
Physic
s

Math

Math is a Scientific Tool

Uncommon Tools

Micrometer

Reticles: eye piece micrometers

Estimation
An estimation is an approximation of a number based
on a reasonable assumption
It is not the same as a guess because it is based on
known information.
When scientists cannot obtain exact numbers they must
rely on estimations.

How many birds can you see?

Accuracy and Precision

Accuracy refers to how close a measurement is to the
true or accepted value.
Precision refers to how close a group of measurements
are to each other.
If I said there are 684 people in this room that is precise
but not accurate. If I said there are 15-30 people in this
room it is more accurate but not precise.

Accuracy and Precision in

Measurement
If I measured myself 4 times and and I found out I was
100 cm tall, 200 cm tall, 178 cm tall, and 150 cm tall,
have I been accurate or precise?
I am 178 cm tall. As I got different heights each time I
have not been precise (getting the same measurement
several times).
I have also been fairly inaccurate as I only got the right
answer once.

Significant Figures
The significant figures in a measurement include all of
the digits that have been measured exactly, plus one
digit whose value has been estimated.
1.37 cm

3 significant
digits

Adding or Subtracting
Measurements
When add or subtract measurements the answer can
only have the same number of significant figures as the
measurement with the fewest significant figures.
5.3 cm

(1 sig figure after decimal)

+ 21.94 cm

(2 sig figures after decimal)

27.24 = 27.2 cm (1 sig figure after decimal)

Multiplying or Dividing
Measurements
When multiplying or dividing measurements the answer
can only have the same number of significant figures as
the measurement with the fewest significant figures.
2.25 m (3 sig figures)
x 3m
= 6.75 m2
= 7 m2

(1 sig figure)
(should have 1 sig figure)

 All numbers in scientific notation. For example 3800000

can be written as 3.8 x 106. So this has 2 sig figures.

http://www.bozemanscience.com/scientific-method

Percent Error
Percent error calculations are used to determine

how accurate, or close to the true value, an

experimental value really is.

x 100%

A low percent error indicates an accurate

measurement

Mean, Median, and Mode

You are familiar with averages but in science we talk
about the mean, median, and mode.
Mean is the numerical average calculated by adding up
the values and dividing by the total number of items.
Mean =

Median
The
median is the middle number in a data set.
To find the median arrange all the numbers in numerical order and then
pick the middle number
Odd number:

1 2 3

45

6 7

Even number: 1 2 3 4 5 6
median = = 3.5

Mode
The mode is simply the number that appears most often
in a data set.
The mode is useful when data contains many numbers
that are the same
1 2 2 2 3 3 4 4
Mode = 2

Learning Standards
Recognize that the measurement of volume requires
understanding of the sensitivity of measurement tools.
You need to be aware of the appropriate use of
significant digits.