Determining The Accuracy And Precision Of My Results

Aims The objective of this investigation is to disprove the following set of hypotheses provided in the Task brief where they were collected from Moon Misconceptions (2013): 1. The Moon is only visible at night. 2. The same half of the Moon is in darkness all the time – i.e. there is a dark side of the Moon. 3. The Moon goes around the Earth in a single day. 4. Phases of the moon are caused by a shadow from the Earth, clouds, or the Earth’s or Moon’s rotation. 5. The Moon is magnified when it is close to the horizon. Methods For each of my observations I will note specific information required to disprove each hypothesis. Also, I am going to record my location and attempt to make my observations from the same place for consistency and†¦show more content†¦waxing crescent, half-full, etc.) not a direct measurement of the illuminated percentage. My main quantitative measurements are of the azimuth and altitude. As such I will take precautions to reduce the error in these records. When recording the azimuth I am going to find a terrestrial object (e.g. a tree, chimney, pole, etc.) that is vertically aligned with the Moon relative to my position by holding a ruler oriented vertically and collinear with my eyes and the Moon. I will then be able to take the compass bearing of this terrestrial object which will be more accurate than attempting to line up a compass with the Moon, especially when it is at higher altitudes. Attempting to hold the protractor level for the altitude measurements will introduce uncertainty. Levelling the protractor will be done by sight and as such may produce a large uncertainty. To determine the amount of error introduced I will compare my records with those shown in the planetarium software, TheSkyX First Light Edition ((version 10.0.2) 2008)). Figure 1: Drawing of method for measuring angle of elevation, ÃŽ ¸, the altitude of the Moon. Lastly I will estimate the error in measuring the relative diameter of the Moon by analysing the limit of reading of the scale on the ruler I use and the difficulty I experience in reading it at arm’s length. Results Table 2: Observational results. Estimated position of the Sun, cloud cover, altitude, azimuth, relative diameter, phase, and surface sketch of