Editing Uncertainty (section)

==Applications==
* Uncertainty is designed into [[game]]s, most notably in [[gambling]], where [[probability|chance]] is central to play.
* In [[scientific modelling]], in which the prediction of future events should be understood to have a range of expected values.
* In [[computer science]], and in particular [[data management]], [[uncertain data]] is commonplace and can be modeled and stored within an [[uncertain database]].
* In [[optimization]], uncertainty permits one to describe situations where the user does not have full control on the outcome of the optimization procedure, see [[scenario optimization]] and [[stochastic optimization]].
* In [[meteorology|weather forecasting]], it is now commonplace to include data on the degree of uncertainty in a [[weather forecast]].
* Uncertainty or [[error]] is used in science and engineering notation. Numerical values should only have to be expressed in those digits that are physically meaningful, which are referred to as [[significant figures]]. Uncertainty is involved in every measurement, such as measuring a distance, a temperature, etc., the degree depending upon the instrument or technique used to make the measurement. Similarly, uncertainty is propagated through calculations so that the calculated value has some degree of uncertainty depending upon the uncertainties of the measured values and the equation used in the calculation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gregory |first1=Kent J. |last2=Bibbo |first2=Giovanni |last3=Pattison |first3=John E. |year=2005 |title=A Standard Approach to Measurement Uncertainties for Scientists and Engineers in Medicine |journal=Australasian Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=131–139 |doi=10.1007/BF03178705 |pmid=16060321 |s2cid=13018991 }}</ref>
* In [[physics]], the Heisenberg [[uncertainty principle]] forms the basis of modern [[quantum mechanics]].<ref name=":1" />
* In [[metrology]], [[measurement uncertainty]] is a central concept quantifying the dispersion one may reasonably attribute to a measurement result. Such an uncertainty can also be referred to as a measurement [[error]]. 
* In daily life, measurement uncertainty is often implicit ("He is 6 feet tall" give or take a few inches), while for any serious use an explicit statement of the measurement uncertainty is necessary. The expected measurement uncertainty of many [[measuring instruments]] (scales, oscilloscopes, force gages, rulers, thermometers, etc.) is often stated in the manufacturers' specifications.
* In [[engineering]], uncertainty can be used in the context of validation and verification of material modeling.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://icme.hpc.msstate.edu/mediawiki/index.php/Category:Uncertainty |title=Category:Uncertainty - EVOCD |access-date=2016-07-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926183351/https://icme.hpc.msstate.edu/mediawiki/index.php/Category:Uncertainty |archive-date=2015-09-26 }}</ref>
* Uncertainty has been a common theme in art, both as a thematic device (see, for example, the indecision of [[Hamlet]]), and as a quandary for the artist (such as [[Martin Creed]]'s difficulty with deciding what artworks to make).
* Uncertainty is an important factor in [[economics]]. According to economist [[Frank Knight]], it is different from [[risk]], where there is a specific [[probability]] assigned to each outcome (as when flipping a fair coin). Knightian uncertainty involves a situation that has unknown probabilities.<ref name=":0" />
* Investing in [[financial market]]s such as the stock market involves Knightian uncertainty when the probability of a rare but catastrophic event is unknown.<ref name=":0" />