when timimg oscillations, why do you have to measure repeatedly? How would results change with multiple tests

Question

Determining periods for simple harmonic motion

Answer 1

Because the accuracy of any measurement is limited by the precision of the measuring device and the proficiency of the person making the measurement.

As lame as it might seem, it's a good idea for both lab partners to take independent measurements, even when not strictly required. Even if your measurements are right on 99% of the time, every once in a while you're going to get a bad measurement that throws the entire rest of the experiment off.

In other words, the results normally won't have significant differences between them - especially for something like harmonic motion. Once in a while, it's going to prevent a bad measurement from trashing an entire experiment.

Answer 2

More precise measurements are made by measuring a series of oscillations, then finding the average time per oscillation. This should be done a few (at least 3) times, to give even more precise results. By looking at more than one oscillation, you reduce the effect humor error has on your measurements.

Answer 3

it is done to minimise random error