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Measurements are precise when they are all very similar (ie, if a temperature was measured as 23.2C, 23.1C, and 23.3C). Measurements are accurate when they are close to a known value (such as 100.01C measured as the boiling point of pure water at 1 atm).

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14y ago
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10y ago

Any measurement made with a measuring device is approximate.

If you measure the same object two different times, the two measurements may not be exactly the same. The difference between two measurements is called a variation in the measurements.

Another word for this variation - or uncertainty in measurement - is "error." This "error" is not the same as a "mistake." It does not mean that you got the wrong answer. The error in measurement is a mathematical way to show the uncertainty in the measurement. It is the difference between the result of the measurement and the true value of what you were measuring.

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12y ago

accuracy is doubtful where as precise is repeatability or reproduceable.

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Think of it in terms of a pistol target. Accuracy relates to being able to hit the bull, while precision relates to the grouping. If you consistently hit the bull, then you are accurate. If you miss the bull but each round lands close to each other (i.e. good grouping) then you are not being accurate but you are being precise.

Now let's assume you have a voltmeter which you are using to measure voltage. Let's say the actual voltage is 10 V. If your voltmeter consistently indicates 10 V, then it is being accurate. If it consistently measures, say, 10.3 V, then it is not being accurate, but it is being precise. In other words, a miscalibrated instrument can be precise without being accurate.

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Q: Distinguish between accuracy and precision of a measurement?
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What does accuracy and precision mean?

Precision measurements are those which are repeatable - so all measurements are clustered around the same value. An accurate measurement is where you are close to the true value. A measurement can be precise but not accurate. If you have a piece of string which is 75cm long. You measure it and come up with values of 60cm, 60.5cm and 59.5cm - your measurements are precise but not accurate. See also 'The Story of Measurement' by Andrew Robinson. Published by Thames and Hudson (2007)


Difference between static and dynamic characteristics of transducers?

following are some static characteristics of sensors accuracy precision repeatibility range resolution sensitivity dead zone


How can user defined operator overloading harm the readability of the program?

Because the built in operator has the precision and compiler knows all the precision between the operators, and it works on that precision. User can also create its own operator but the compiler does not come to know thow to make precision of this operator. Therefore we dont use user defined operator


Distinguish between common cost and joint cost give three example?

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What is the difference between radar level measurement and ultrasonic level measurement?

Radar is based on Microwave and detects the change in dielectric constant where as Ultrasonic is based on Sound Wave at high frequency (Ultrasonic Wave) and detects change in density of medium. Based on performance and accuracy Radar is a better solution than Ultrasonic. However for lower range liquid application ultrasonic is a cost effective solution. hope this is useful for you!

Related questions

What is the difference between the accuracy of measurements and the precision of measurements?

Precision is how close your measurements are. Accuracy is how close your measurements are to the actual measurement.


What is accuracy and precision and the difference between them?

The term accuracy describes how far your observation/measurement is from the correct result. Precision describes how repeatable your results are, regardless of their accuracy..


What are accuracy and precision and what is the difference between accuracy and precision?

Imagine a dartboard. An accurate measurement would be analogous to hitting the bulls-eye. While a precise measurement is just the tight clustering of shots.


What is the difference between accuracy and presicion?

Accuracy is a measure of how close to an absolute standard a measurement is made, while precision is a measure of the resolution of the measurement. Accuracy is calibration, and inaccuracy is systematic error. Precision, again, is resolution, and is a source of random error.


what is the difference between accuracy and precision?

''Accuracy is the degree of closeness to true value. Precision is the degree to which an instrument or process will repeat the same value. In other words, accuracy is the degree of veracity while precision is the degree of reproducibility.


What is the difference between an accurate and a precise measurement?

The article at the link below should help you get a handle on the subtle differences between accuracy and precision.


What is a precise measurment?

A precise measurement is an exact measurement.How long,how tall how wide. EXAMPLE-12X5X24Precision refers how close measurements of the same thing are to each other. A precise measurement is one that is similar or the same as previous measurements. A precise measurement does not need to be accurate.precise measurements may not be accurate but will agree with each other. Characteristic of precision is low standard deviation. It is not in all cases proof of accuracy though


How does accuracy differ from precision in a scientific measurement?

A thermometer says the temperature is 34 degrees ceentigrade. The divisions are so close you could only decide it is 34 rather than 33 or 35. So its precision is one degree. If the specification for that thermometer is plus or minus 3 degrees then you only really know it is between 31 and 37. If its precision is plus or minus one degree you know it is between 33 and 35.


What is accuracy give some example?

Accuracy refers to how close you are to the real answer. This is usually used in measurements. For example: The weight is 55.5kg. The accurate measurement will be 60kg which is close to the real answer.


What is the difference between accuracy and precision and which one is more important to scientific measurement?

To be accurate is to be correct, for example, if you say it will rain tomorrow and it does rain tomorrow, then your prediction was accurate. Precision means to give a finely detailed measurement or observation, rather than an approximation. In the case of the weather prediction, a precise prediction might be on the order of, it will rain a total of 1.68 inches of rain, tomorrow. Such a prediction might or might not be accurate, but if it is, then it is also precise, much more precise than merely predicting that it will rain. Precision includes the concept of accuracy. An observation that is precise but inaccurate is useless; precision is only valuable when it is also accurate. Scientists cannot really choose between accuracy and precision since both are necessary for science to succeed, but accuracy is more fundamental. Something that is approximately correct is worth more than something that is very detailed, but wrong.


What is the difference between accuracy and precision and which is most important to scientific measurement?

Both accuracy and precision are important to scientific measurement. I'll try to explain the difference with a couple of illustrations. I should start by saying, sometimes the words are used interchangeably but they shouldn't be. I consider precision to mean resolution. That is how fine/small a reading you can get.Assume an electronic thermometer (digital display) can display answers to the nearest one hundredth of a degree. But, the thermometer isn't able to measure with that accurately. Maybe it's only accurate to the nearest whole degree. In this case the precision is greater than is supported by the accuracy of the device.Now take the opposite case where the thermometer is able to measure temperature accurately to one hundredth of a degree but the instrument can only display whole degrees. In this case the precision does not support the accuracy.Ideally the accuracy and precision of an instrument are the same but often that's not the case.


What differecne between the accuracy and precision?

Accuracy is how close the value that is measured to a true or standard value. While precision is referred as the degree of nearness of the measured values to one another in a repeated same value.