Science is based on observation and experiment—that is, on measurements. Accuracy is how close a measurement is to the correct value for that measurement. The precision of a measurement system refers ...Science is based on observation and experiment—that is, on measurements. Accuracy is how close a measurement is to the correct value for that measurement. The precision of a measurement system refers to how close the agreement is between repeated measurements (which are repeated under the same conditions).
Every measurement contains some error. A standard sheet of paper is 8.5 inches wide and 11 inches high, but it’s possible that the actual measurements could be closer to 8.4999 and 11.0001 inc...Every measurement contains some error. A standard sheet of paper is 8.5 inches wide and 11 inches high, but it’s possible that the actual measurements could be closer to 8.4999 and 11.0001 inches. Even if we measure something very carefully, with very sensitive instruments, we should assume that there could be some small measurement error.