Definition C.2.1 Accuracy.
How closely a measurement is to the ground truth or reference value.
Subsection C.2.1 Accuracy vs. Precision
Accuracy and precision are closely related concepts that are often confused. This nuance is important to understand due to the uncertain nature of measurement.
Definition C.2.2 Precision.
Consistency with which reported measurements agree with each other.
| Low precision | High precision | |
| High accuracy |
Accurate but imprecise
Measurements vary substantially from each other, but their central tendency is close to the reference value.
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Accurate and precise
Measurements cluster closely together and are centered near the reference value.
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| Low accuracy |
Inaccurate and imprecise
Measurements vary substantially from each other, and their central tendency is not close to the reference value.
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Inaccurate but precise
Measurements cluster together far from the reference value.
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