Introduction to data analysis

When you report a measurement or experimental result in physics, it’s important to always include the uncertainty (as a “plus or minus” amount) as well as the value. For example, when I say that I weigh 150 lbs, I probably don’t mean “exactly 150 lbs” but instead “somewhere in the range of 145 to 155 lbs”, or 150 ± 5 lbs. Of course, if I were paying close attention to my weight, “150 lbs” might mean somewhere between 149 and 151 lbs (150 ± 1 lbs). Or if I say “a newborn moose weighs about 150 lbs”, I might mean somewhere between 100 and 200 lbs (150 ± 50 lbs).