Question

Precision and accuracy often depend on comparing multiple measurements to each other. If you only make a single measurement, is it possible to determine it is precision? What about its accuracy? Give an example to support your conclusion.

Answer 1

A single measurement cannot determine precision as it requires consistency across multiple measurements. Without a reference value and multiple measurements, assessing the accuracy is also unreliable. An example is measuring the length of printer paper once, which does not provide enough information for evaluating both accuracy and precision.

Step-by-step explanation:

Understanding the concepts of accuracy and precision is fundamental in scientific measurements. Precision refers to the consistency of repeated measurements, meaning that a single measurement cannot be evaluated for its precision. Accuracy, on the other hand, describes how close a measurement is to the true or accepted value. Without an accepted reference value and multiple measurements, one cannot confidently assess the accuracy and precision of a measurement.

For instance, imagine measuring the length of a piece of printer paper that is supposed to be 11 inches long. If you only measure it once and get 11.1 inches, without more measurements or a reference, you cannot assess the precision. The accuracy seems reasonable, but without confirming with additional measurements or against a calibrated instrument, it's uncertain.