Question

An infant’s pulse rate is measured to be$\mathbf{130}\mathbf{}\mathbf{\pm }\mathbf{5}\mathbf{}\mathbf{beats}\mathbf{/}\mathbf{min}$. What is the percent uncertainty in this measurement?

Short answer

The percentage uncertainty in the given case is 3.846%.

Step-by-step solution

Definition of percentage uncertainty

Percentage uncertainty implies the percentage of uncertainty in a given situation. Since it is a percentage, it has no units.

Calculation of percentage uncertainty

Consider the given data as stated below.

An infant’s pulse rate is_-$\mathrm{A}=130\mathrm{beats}/\min$.

The uncertainty, $\mathrm{\delta A}=5\mathrm{beats}/\min$.

The percentage of uncertainty is defined as follows:

$\mathrm{\delta A}\%=\frac{\mathrm{\delta A}}{\mathrm{A}}\times 100\%$

Substitute $5\mathrm{beats}/\min$for $\mathrm{\delta A}$and $130\mathrm{beats}/\min$for $\mathrm{A}$in the above equation.

$$\begin{gathered} \mathrm{\delta A}\%=\frac{5\mathrm{beats}/\min }{130\mathrm{beats}/\min }\times 100\% \\ =3.846\% \end{gathered}$$

Conclusion

Hence, the percentage uncertainty in the given case is 3.846%.