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Direct linkWalkup, John R.; Key, Roger A.; Duncan, Sean Patrick; Sheldon, Avery E.; Walkup, Michael A. – Physics Education, 2020
Error analysis consumes much of the focus in introductory physics labs. Catastrophic cancellation is a spike in error that occurs when subtracting two measurements of roughly equal magnitude. Often termed "loss of significance" or "subtractive cancellation," this effect can easily relegate experimental results to utter…
Descriptors: Physics, Science Instruction, Laboratory Experiments, Teaching Methods
