Error Analysis in the Introductory Physics Laboratory

My first experience with measurement analysis in the introductory laboratory was in my high school physics course. As a teacher I mimicked that experience for my students. That measurement laboratory consisted of a two-sheet introduction to measurement along with a meterstick, a pair of Vernier calipers, micrometer calipers, an analytical balance, a bathroom scale, assorted spheres, cylinders, etc. I also added a variety of other objects (doors, windows, room dimensions, etc.) and some measurements on classmates (heights, weights, shoe sizes, hands and fingers, etc.)—just about anything that would get them out of their seats and even outdoors to make measurements on students passing by. Back in the classroom we made tables, plotted graphs, and compared results. Mostly, I used: • Introduction to the Theory of Error, 2nd edition, by Yardley Beers and published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company Inc., Reading, MA (1953, 1957, 1958), pp. vi + 66, paperback, LCCC...