Question: To measure the activity of a radioactive sample, two students count the alpha particles it emits. Student A watches for 3 minutes and counts 28 particles; Student B watches for 30 minutes and counts 310 particles.
(a) What should Student A report for the average number emitted in 3 minutes, with his uncertainty?
(b) What should Student B report for the average number emitted in 30 minutes, with her uncertainty?
(c) What are the fractional uncertainties in the two measurements? Comment.