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What degree of accuracy can be expected in VOR navigation?

User Leanan
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Final answer:

VOR navigation typically offers ±1 degree accuracy, while GPS accuracy requires synchronization of atomic clocks to picoseconds for 1.00 mm resolution. GPS precision and accuracy are illustrated by how closely measurements cluster and their proximity to the target location.

Step-by-step explanation:

The degree of accuracy in VOR navigation can vary, but typically the system is designed to provide an accuracy of ±1 degree in the azimuth dimension. As for GPS, the precision of location determination relates directly to the measurement of time taken by signals to reach the receiver. To achieve a position resolution of 1.00 mm with GPS, the time differences between signal arrivals must be measured with an accuracy on the order of picoseconds, since signals from GPS satellites travel at the speed of light. At the theoretical level, this would require atomic clocks synchronized to a degree of precision capable of detecting differences in signal arrival times to a few picoseconds.

GPS accuracy can also be illustrated through concepts of precision and accuracy. We use terms like 'high accuracy, low precision' and 'low accuracy, high precision' to describe different GPS measurement scenarios. For example, a GPS system that yields measurements spread apart but close to the actual location demonstrates high accuracy but low precision. Conversely, measurements that are clumped together but far from the target location represent high precision but low accuracy. Ideally, a GPS system is both accurate and precise, indicating that the measurements are clustered together and close to the actual target.

User Marty McGee
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