Question

Three students (A, B, and C) are asked to determine the volume of a sample of water. Each student measures the volume three times with a graduated cylinder. The results in milliliters are: A (87.1, 88.2, 87.6); B (86.9, 87.1, 87.2); C (87.6, 87.8, 87.9). The true volume is 87.0 mL. Comment on the precision and the accuracy of each student’s results. aStudent A has results that are neither precise nor accurate. bStudent B has results that are both precise and accurate. cStudent C has results that are precise but not accurate. dStudent A has results that are precise and accurate. eStudent B has results that are neither precise and accurate. fStudent C has results that are accurate but not precise.

Answer 1

a. Student A has results that are neither precise nor accurate.

b. Student B has results that are both precise and accurate.

c. Student C has results that are precise but not accurate.

Step-by-step explanation:

First, let's remember the concepts of accuracy and precision:

Accuracy is a measure of how close a measurement is to the correct or accepted value of the quantity being measured.

Precision is a measure of how close a series of measurements are to one another.

You can see this better in the following picture:

Based on this logic, you can note that:

- The results of Student A are not accurate and are not precise.

- The results of Student B are very close to each other which is precise and in turn, they are close to the real value which is very accurate.

- The results of Student C are very close to each other which is precise but it isn't close to the real value, so it isn't accurate.

The answers would be:

a. Student A has results that are neither precise nor accurate.

b. Student B has results that are both precise and accurate.

c. Student C has results that are precise but not accurate.