Which statement best defines accuracy in measurement?

Which statement best defines accuracy in measurement?

• A. Accuracy refers to how close a measured value is to the true value.
• B. Precision refers to the ability to consistently obtain the same measurement.
• C. Significant figures show the number of digits reported in a measurement.
• D. Mass is measured with a standard unit such as kilograms.

Answer: (A)

Accuracy is about how close a measured value is to the true value. For example, if the true mass is 50.0 g, a measurement near 50.0 g (like 49.9 g or 50.1 g) is considered accurate because it matches the real value closely. You can quantify accuracy with percent error, which is the absolute difference between the measured value and the true value divided by the true value, times 100%. The other statements describe different ideas: precision refers to how consistently you can reproduce measurements, regardless of how close they are to the true value; significant figures describe how many digits you report and reflect uncertainty in the measurement rather than closeness to the true value; and using standard units (like kilograms) is about the units used, not how accurate the measurement is to the true value.

Accuracy is about how close a measured value is to the true value. For example, if the true mass is 50.0 g, a measurement near 50.0 g (like 49.9 g or 50.1 g) is considered accurate because it matches the real value closely. You can quantify accuracy with percent error, which is the absolute difference between the measured value and the true value divided by the true value, times 100%.

The other statements describe different ideas: precision refers to how consistently you can reproduce measurements, regardless of how close they are to the true value; significant figures describe how many digits you report and reflect uncertainty in the measurement rather than closeness to the true value; and using standard units (like kilograms) is about the units used, not how accurate the measurement is to the true value.