Question

you measure the mass of an apple using a balance. you get these three measurements: trial 1: 167.0 g trial 2: 166.9 g trial 3: 167.2 g you know that the true mass of the apple is 172 g. describe your results in terms of precision and accuracy. explain your answer.

Explanation:

Precision refers to the closeness of repeated measurements to each other. The three measurements (167.0 g, 166.9 g, 167.2 g) are very close to one another, so the measurements are precise. Accuracy is the closeness of a measurement to the true - value. The true mass of the apple is 172 g, and the measured values are around 167 g, so the measurements are not accurate as they are quite far from the true mass.

Answer:

The measurements are precise but not accurate. The repeated measurements are close to each other (precision), but they are far from the true mass of 172 g (not accurate).