TOK exhibition 

To what extent is certainty attainable?

In some cases, certainty is unattainable. For example, some hypotheses cannot be proven to be objectively true, only repeatedly tested or disproven. Margin for human error also makes it impossible to make accurate measurements. What degree of uncertainty do we then consider negligible?

The object that relates to my prompt is a beaker that is used in my chemistry classes to mix liquids. It has scales that indicate the volume of the liquid it contains. To identify the exact volume of the liquid, one needs to position themselves on eye-level with the its edge and determine where the lower meniscus is in relationship to the scale. Multiple problems arise here: the scale interval is too great to make an accurate observation; it is likely that you will incline your head ever so slightly to make a flawed assumption of where the line is; the shape of the flask may be almost invisibly deformed so that its volume varies by an infinitely small amount from reality. What the object illustrates is that no matter how specific a measurement is, it is impossible for humans to observe an infinitely miniscule distinction between it and reality, which means margin for human error is always present. There are also always variables we cannot influence that may skew the results. As carrying out experiments with measurements is imperative to natural sciences, the unattainability of certainty has to be taken into account.