Uncertainty estimates are crucial for comparing experimental numbers. Are the measurements 0.86 s and 0.98 s the same or different? The answer depends on how exact these two numbers are. If the uncertainty too large, it is impossible to say whether the difference between the two numbers is real or just due to sloppy measurements. That's why estimating uncertainty is so important!
Measurements don't agree 0.86 s ± 0.02 s and 0.98 s ± 0.02 s
Measurements agree 0.86 s ± 0.08 s and 0.98 s ± 0.08 s
If the ranges of two measured values don't overlap, the measurements are discrepant (the two numbers don't agree). If the rangesoverlap, the measurements are said to be consistent.
CAn someone explain this part :S