The distance from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Detroit is listed in a road atlas a

Question

The distance from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Detroit is listed in a road atlas as 153 miles. Describe some of the factors that contribute to the uncertainty in this number. Select all that apply. the uncertainty of kilometers to miles conversion the definition of "Grand Rapids" and "Detroin", because these are cities with a finite area the route itself, it could be the shortest or the fastest etc. the motion of the Earth, because relative distances depend on it the type of transportation (by air train, car etc.) the uncertainty of the measuring device

Explanation / Answer

We know that 1 mile = 1.60934 km; one may round off the conversion factor as 1.61 or as 1.609 and that will lead to an uncertainty in the measurement.

The definition of Grand Rapids and Detroit are ambiguous; the distance refers to the distance between one specific point (a set of particular co-ordinates) at Grand Rapids to another particular point at Detroit; hence these two co-ordinates must be specified. Therefore, the definitions themselves leave room for uncertainty.

There may be multiple routes; one may drive the distance directly or drive to an intermediate city, rest and then drive the remaining distance. Hence, the route is uncertain.

The motion of the earth has little influence on the distance between the two cities; hence we cannot say that the motion leads to uncertainty in measurement.

The distance of 153 miles will remain the same no matter whether one flies or drives; the time taken for the journey will be different. Thus, the mode of transportation will not lead to uncertainty in the distance.

The measuring instrument will have uncertainty associated with it. All measuring instruments have intrinsic uncertainty which will contribute to uncertainty in the measurement of the distance (ans).

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