Question

Evaluate Nancy's data on the density of gold. The density of gold is 19.32 g/cm³, and Nancy measures the densities of the three links in a gold chain to be 25.91 g/cm³, 25.92 g/cm³, and 25.93 g/cm³.

A) Nancy's data is precise, but probably not accurate.
B) Nancy's data is both precise and accurate.
C) Nancy's data is neither precise nor accurate.
D) Nancy's data is accurate, but probably not precise.

Answer 1

Nancy's measurements are precise because they are very close to each other, but not accurate since they differ significantly from the accepted density of gold, 19.32 g/cm³.

Step-by-step explanation:

Nancy's measured densities for the gold chain links are significantly higher than the known density of gold, which is 19.32 g/cm³. Based on this information, the correct answer to the question is: A) Nancy's data is precise, but probably not accurate. Precision refers to how close multiple measurements are to each other, while accuracy refers to how close a measurement is to the true or accepted value. Since Nancy's measurements are very close to each other, they are precise. However, as they are quite a bit higher than the true density of gold, they are not accurate. This suggests a systematic error in her measurement process or an incorrect assumption about the material being pure gold.