Past exam of the physics course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2015 / Paper 1 / Section A / A5

Using metres and SI viscosity, the pressure difference is $\Delta P=200$ Pa and the central flow estimate isIf the quoted uncertainties are independent standard uncertainties, the pressure-difference uncertainty is ${\sigma }_{\Delta P}=\sqrt{10^2+10^2}=14.14$ Pa. First-order propagation givesHenceThe radius sensitivity of Poiseuille-flow uncertainty comes from the fourth-power dependence on radius. If the quoted errors instead mean independent worst-case bounds, the first-order absolute fractional bound is $4(0.1/2.3)+0.3/8.9+0.01/0.50+20/200=0.3276$, giving approximately $\pm 1.62\times 10^{-6}$ m³/s. That conservative bound and the standard uncertainty result are different conventions, not interchangeable errors. The supplied flow model presumes a Newtonian fluid and laminar flow that is fully developed; no density is given for an independent Reynolds-number check.