Accuracy and precision are used in context of measurement.

What is Accuracy?

Accuracy refers to the degree of conformity and correctness of something when compared to a true or
absolute value.

Example 1.2.1

If in lab you obtain a weight measurement of 3.2 kg for a given substance, but the actual or known
weight is 10 kg, then your measurement is not accurate. In this case, your measurement is not close to
the known value.

What is Precision?

Precision refers to the closeness of two or more measurements to each other.

Example 1.2.2

If you weigh a given substance five times, and get 3.2 kg each time, then your measurement is very
precise.

Example 1.2.3

If on average, your measurements for a given substance are close to the known value, but the
measurements are far from each other, then you have accuracy without precision.
Note: Precision is independent of accuracy. You can be very precise but inaccurate. You can also be
accurate but imprecise.

All experimental uncertainty is due to either random errors or systematic errors.

What are Random errors?

Random errors are statistical fluctuations (in either direction) in the measured data due to the precision
limitations of the measurement device. They are usually result from the experimenter's inability to take
the same measurement in exactly the same way to get exact the same number.

Example 1.3.1

You measure the mass of a ring three times using the same balance and get slightly different values:
17.46 g, 17.42 g, 17.44 g, the differences of masses are the random errors.

What are Systematic errors?

Systematic errors are reproducible inaccuracies that are consistently in the same direction. They are
errors associated with a flaw in the equipment or in the design of the experiment.

Example 1.3.2
The cloth tape measure that you use to measure the length of an object had been stretched out from
years of use. (As a result, all of your length measurements were too small), hence there is systematic
error.

Example 1.3.3

The electronic scale you use reads 0.05 g too high for all your mass measurements (because it is
improperly tarred throughout your experiment), hence there is systematic error.