[LON-CAPA-admin] Avoidance of Tolerance Range/ Sig figures errors?

[Mark Lucas]

On Thu, 2009-01-15 at 11:31 -0800, Ray Batchelor wrote:

> If you are not the author, then you might, as course coordinator,
> change the minimum sig figs allowed to be less than 3.

Though you want to be careful. From my perspective, sig figs are more a
way of making sure the students don't round their correct answer to a
point where they are outside the tolerance, and therefore 'wrong'.

1.0 is about 4% off from 1.04. If the answer is 1.04, the tolerance is
2% and you only give 1.0, you will waste a lot of time on a precision
issue.

Later,
Mark

-- 
Mark Lucas                                      email: lucasm at ohiou.edu
252D Clippinger Lab                             phone: (740)597-2984
Department of Physics and Astronomy             fax:   (740)593-0433
Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701