Two students are measuring the mass of an object. One reports their answer as 4.56 g, while the other reports their answer as 4.58 g. The teacher gives each student 100% credit. How can they both be right?

Answer 1

Both students can be considered correct because they are reporting measurements that are both reasonable and consistent with the precision of their measuring instrument. The slight difference in their reported masses (4.56 g and 4.58 g) could be due to variations in the measurement process, such as differences in technique, calibration of the scale, or environmental factors that may affect the reading, like air currents or vibration.

If the measuring instrument they used was capable of displaying measurements to two decimal places, both students’ answers could be acceptable representations of the object's mass, reflecting the inherent uncertainty in measurement. Measurements in experimental contexts often come with some degree of variability, and thus, both students are justified in their claims within that context. The teacher is recognizing this inherent variability in measurements by awarding full credit to both.