Answer to Question #74670 in Physics for Darren McCormack

Question

You have a volume of oil that you weigh on an electonic balance. The smallest scale on the balance is 0.1 grams, and the manufacturers specification indicate that the "accuracy" of the balance is "1% reading + 2 digits". A 100ml measuring cylinder is used to measure the volume of the oil. The measuring cylinder has a scale divided into 1ml ranges, and the manufacturer has stated "Tolerance = ±1ml ". The volume is measured is 40.5ml and the mass is 38.0 grams.
a) What is he uncertainty and relative error in the mass of the oil?
b) What is the uncertainty and relative error in the volume of the oil?
c) What is the density of the oil, with uncertainty, in the correct format?