Define precision in measurement.

Define precision in measurement.

• A. Closeness of a measurement to the true value.
• B. The ability to consistently obtain the same measurement.
• C. The number of significant figures reported.
• D. The unit used for the measurement.

Answer: (B)

Precision in measurement means how repeatable the results are when you measure the same thing under the same conditions. That’s why the best description is the ability to consistently obtain the same measurement. Accuracy is a different idea—it’s how close your measurement is to the true value. The number of significant figures tells you how detailed the reported number is, but it doesn’t define how reproducible the measurements are. The unit describes what is being measured, not how consistent the results are. For example, readings of 5.04 g, 5.05 g, and 5.04 g are very precise (they’re close to each other), but if the true mass is 5.10 g, they aren’t very accurate.

Precision in measurement means how repeatable the results are when you measure the same thing under the same conditions. That’s why the best description is the ability to consistently obtain the same measurement. Accuracy is a different idea—it’s how close your measurement is to the true value. The number of significant figures tells you how detailed the reported number is, but it doesn’t define how reproducible the measurements are. The unit describes what is being measured, not how consistent the results are. For example, readings of 5.04 g, 5.05 g, and 5.04 g are very precise (they’re close to each other), but if the true mass is 5.10 g, they aren’t very accurate.