Chemistry 26.

1: Introduction to Quantitative Chemical Analysis Laboratory

2nd Semester AY1819
Data Sheet

Name: Deimoy, Charls Darwin E.

Section: Chem 26.1 WFX/WFUV2-1

EXPERIMENT #1
APPLICATION OF STATISTICAL CONCEPTS IN THE DETERMINATION OF
WEIGHT VARIATION IN SAMPLES

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS:
1. In the experiment, what is considered the “population” and the “sample”? What is the
principal goal of sampling, in general (10 pts)?

In the experiment, the 25-centavo coins are considered as population, while the selected
ten 25-centavo coins are the sample since they are the subset of the population of 25-
centavo coins. The principal goal of sampling is to get a representative from a
population. Since the population is too large for the data collection and it would be also
impractical. Another thing is that, sampling reduces the variability of the data to be
collected.

2. Why is there a need to gather replicate/ repeat measurements (10 pts)?

Replicated measurements are essential in an experiment because it measures variation,

increase precision, and detect outliers. Through replication, one can be able to estimate
the degree of variation among the data collected. In addition to that, as the number of
replicates increases, the detectable difference decreases, thus making it precise. Lastly,
because of replication, one can be able to locate the outliers or aberrations within the
data collection.

3. Discuss on an organized manner the applicability and limitations of the different

statistical parameters in assessing accuracy and precision (20 pts)?

Measure of Precision
 Variance - measure of the spread of a set of data with respect to the average
value, or mean. More simply, variance means getting some results or data points
that deviate from the average or expected result and representing that difference
numerically.
 Standard deviation - It gives a more accurate idea of how the data is distributed.
It also shows how much data is clustered around a mean value. However, It
doesn't give you the full range of the data and can only be used with data where
an independent variable is plotted against the frequency of it.
 Relative Standard deviation - exhibits the extent of variability in relation to the
mean of the population. It is widely used in analytical chemistry to express the
 precision and repeatability of a procedure on a certain compound.
 Pooled Standard deviation - method for estimating a single standard deviation to
represent all independent samples or groups in your study when they are
assumed to come from populations with a common standard deviation. The
pooled standard deviation is the average spread of all data points about their
group mean (not the overall mean). It is a weighted average of each group's
standard deviation.
 Coefficient of Variation - computed only for data measured on a ratio scale, as
these are the measurements that allow the division operation. The coefficient of
variation may not have any meaning for data on an interval scale.
 Range - difference between the maximum and minimum values of a data set and
serve as one of two important features of a data set. The range is a very crude
measurement of the spread of data because it is extremely sensitive to outliers,
and as a result, there are certain limitations to the utility of a true range of a data
set to statisticians because a single data value can greatly affect the value of
the range.
 Relative Range - range divided bythe arithmetic mean. It is a better way of
expressing in comparison to the values being measured.
Measure of Accuracy
 Absolute Error - measure of how far 'off' a measurement is from a true value or
an indication of the uncertainty in a measurement. This is useful when we want
to frame the result within a certain interval
 Relative Error - expresses how large the absolute error is compared with the total
size of the object you are measuring. It is useful when we want to assess the error
relative to the value of the exact quantity

4. Elaborate on the confidence interval, its purpose, and the effect of factors on its range (10
pts).
A confidence interval provides an estimated range of values which is likely to include an
unknown population parameter, the estimated range being calculated from a given set of
sample data. Confidence intervals for means are intervals constructed using a method
that will contain the population mean a specified proportion of the time. These intervals
are referred to as 95% and 99% confidence intervals. For example a 90% confidence
interval states that the population mean is greater than 100 and less than 200. How can
one would interpret this statement?

Some people think this means there is a 90% chance that the population mean falls
between 100 and 200. This is incorrect. Like any population parameter, the population
mean is a constant, not a random variable. It does not change. The probability that a
constant falls within any given range is always 0.00 or 1.00.

The confidence level describes the uncertainty associated with a sampling method.
Suppose we used the same sampling method to select different samples and to compute
a different interval estimate for each sample. Some interval estimates would include the
true population parameter and some would not. A 90% confidence level means that we
would expect 90% of the interval estimates to include the population parameter; a 95%
 confidence level means that 95% of the intervals would include the parameter; and so on.

5. Expound on the relevance of the Grubbs Test (10 pts)

Grubbs Test is used to detect a single outlier in a univariate data set that follows
an approximatel normal distribution. The test is only used to find a single outlier in
normally distributed data (excluding the potential outlier). If you think that your data
set has more than one outlier, then other types of test would be recommended. Using
this test on non-normal distributions will give false results.

The test is a deceptively simple one to run. It checks for outliers by looking for the
maximum of the absolute differences between the values and the mean.

6. Which between Data Set 1 and 2 is more accurate? Precise? Expound (10 pts).

In terms of precision, Data Set 1 is much precise. The aforementioned Data Set has a
lower standard deviation, and that means that the values are do not deviate much from
the calculated mean. When it comes to accuracy, Data Set 2 is more accurate. Since the
aforementioned Data set covers the whole sample and it is much realistic in determining
the actual weight of the coin.

BONUS: Classify errors probably committed in the experiment (10 pts)

 Instrumental errors – may occur due to the wrong construction of instruments. It

may include loading effect and misuse of the instruments.
 Environmental Errors - due to some external conditions of the instrument. External
conditions mainly include pressure, temperature, humidity or due to magnetic fields.
 Observational Errors - due to wrong observations or reading in the instruments
 Gross errors- due to mistake in using instruments calculating measurement and
recording data results.
 Random Errors – may due to sudden change in experimental conditions and noise
and tiredness in the working persons.

REFERENCES:
Deductions will be made in the Discussion part for discrepancies in citation [Use ACS
citation format]

APPENDIX (30 pts):

Please attached your calculations as well as your data sheet. Calculations may be
handwritten or printed.

http://www.indiana.edu/~educy520/sec5982/week_2/mugo02sampling.pdf

https://libguides.williams.edu/citing/acs
https://serc.carleton.edu/quantskills/teaching_methods/und_uncertainty/measure_error.htm

http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~sifakis/courses/cs412-s13/lecture_notes/CS412_24_Jan_2013.pdf

Vaux, D. L.;Fidler, F. Cumming, G. (2012). Replicates and repeats--what is the difference and is it
significant? A brief discussion of statistics and experimental design. EMBO reports, 13(4), 291-6.
doi:10.1038/embor.2012.36