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Examoogle • User • info@examoogle.com • EE-2024-8821
Chapter 1 of 12 • Page 1 of 248🔒 Protected PDF • Watermarked
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Accuracy and Precision are dependent on each other.
TRUE
FALSE
FALSE
Quick Summary: Accuracy and precision are independent characteristics of a measurement system. Accuracy refers to how close a measured value is to the true or accepted value, while precision refers to the reproducibility or consistency of multiple measurements of the same quantity.
Accuracy and precision are independent characteristics of a measurement system. Accuracy refers to how close a measured value is to the true or accepted value, while precision refers to the reproducibility or consistency of multiple measurements of the same quantity.
Accuracy∝∣Systematic Error∣1 — inverse relationship with bias
Precision∝σ1 — inverse relationship with standard deviation
Accuracy is defined by systematic error, which relates to the shift of the average value from the true value. Precision is defined by random error, relating to the spread or standard deviation of the repeated measurements. A system can be highly precise but inaccurate (e.g., a biased instrument) or accurate but imprecise (e.g., a noisy but centered measurement).
Accuracy represents the degree of correctness.
Precision represents the degree of consistency.
High precision does not guarantee high accuracy.
Calibration is used to improve accuracy, while maintenance or design refinement improves precision.
Separating these concepts helps in isolating sources of measurement errors.
Enables targeted corrective actions for instrumentation.
Misunderstanding their independence leads to improper instrument selection.
Over-emphasis on precision can mask significant systematic errors.
Industrial process control systems.
Calibration of laboratory measurement equipment.
Quality control and manufacturing tolerance checking.
| Feature | Accuracy | Precision |
|---|---|---|
Definition | Closeness to true value | Consistency of readings |
Dependency | Affected by systematic error | Affected by random error |
A common analogy is a target: Accuracy is hitting the bullseye, Precision is grouping shots together.
Option A is false because the definition of precision (repeatability) does not rely on the true value, making them mathematically independent.
B is correct — Accuracy and precision are independent metrics representing measurement bias and dispersion, respectively.
Always remember: An instrument can be precise but inaccurate if it has a constant offset (calibration error) that hasn't been corrected.