Answer to Question #151151 in Physics for J Johnson

Question

A student measured the time for 10 oscillation of a simple pendulum as 14.0s,using the stop clock mentioned .The student has a reaction time of 0.2s and she is known to have started and stopped the watch too late.what is her maximum reaction error in taking the measurement for 10 oscillation and for 1 oscillation

Answer 1

Her maximum reaction error in taking the measurement for 10 oscillation and for 1 oscillation is the same and equals to 0: she started it 0.2 s later (which means she lost some portion of oscillation) and stopped 0.2 s later (which means she added the 0.2 s she lost previously). Since she clicks the button twice while measuring 10 and 1 oscillation, such reasoning is applicable for both measurements.