Final answer:
A single measurement cannot be considered precise as precision requires consistency across multiple measurements. However, a single measurement can be considered accurate if it closely matches the true or accepted value. Accuracy and precision are critical in scientific measurements for validity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concepts of accuracy and precision are fundamental in scientific measurements. When it comes to a single measurement being considered precise or accurate, context is essential. Precision refers to the consistency of repeated measurements. Therefore, one isolated measurement cannot be labeled as 'precise' without additional data to compare it to. However, a single measurement can be considered accurate if it is very close to the true or accepted value. For instance, if you measure a piece of standard computer paper and it states that it is 11.0 inches long, if you measure it once and obtain 11.1 inches, that single measurement can be considered quite accurate, assuming the stated length is correct.
Nevertheless, precision is really about the reproducibility of multiple measurements, and accuracy concerns how close a measurement is to the true or accepted reference value. For instance, if you have a series of measurements showing 11.1 in., 11.2 in., and 10.9 in., these could be considered both accurate and precise, as they are close to the true value of 11.0 inches and to each other. Conversely, a single measurement of 12 inches would be neither accurate (not close to 11.0 inches) nor precise if the rest of the measurements are significantly different from 12 inches.