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A measurement can be consistent and still be wrong

Precision concerns agreement between measurements; accuracy concerns agreement with the accepted value.

Repeated measurements are precise when they cluster closely together. They are accurate when they lie close to the true or accepted value. A measuring instrument can therefore produce very repeatable results while being consistently offset.

Checking only whether your numbers agree with one another may miss that systematic error. Comparing the instrument with a suitable reference addresses a different question from repeating the measurement. Good measurement asks about both, and about the uncertainty that remains.

A small example

A reference mass is 100 grams. A balance repeatedly reads 104 grams. Its readings are tightly grouped but are not close to the reference value.

Keep in mind

Real measurements have uncertainty; “accurate” does not mean infinitely exact.

Source & attribution

Chemistry 2e — Measurement Uncertainty, Accuracy, and Precision

OpenStax contributors · OpenStax, Rice University

CC BY 4.0. Rewritten as a self-contained explanation; the example and reflection are Vakataka additions. Written and edited with AI assistance. No source images reproduced.

Source edition: 2024-12-20T01:30:25Z

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