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arrows are grouped tightly together, the cluster is considered precise since they all struck
close to the same spot, if not necessarily near the bullseye. The measurements are precise,
though not necessarily accurate.
However, it is not possible to reliably achieve accuracy in individual measurements
without precision - if the arrows are not grouped close to one another, they cannot all be
close to the bullseye. (Their average position might be an accurate estimation of the
bullseye, but the individual arrows are inaccurate.)
See also Circular error probable for application of precision to the science of ballistics.
the difference between the mean of the measurements and the reference value, the
bias. Establishing and correcting for bias is necessary for calibration.
the combined effect of that and precision
convention can lead to false precision errors when accepting data from sources that do
not obey it.
Looking at this in another way, a value of 8 would mean that the measurement has been
made with a precision of '1' (the measuring instrument was able to measure only up to 1's
place) whereas a value of 8.0 (though mathematically equal to 8) would mean that the
value at the first decimal place was measured and was found to be zero. (The measuring
instrument was able to measure the first decimal place.) The second value is more
precise. Neither of the measured values may be accurate (the actual value could be 9.5
but measured inaccurately as 8 in both instances). Thus, accuracy can be said to be the
'correctness' of a measurement, while precision could be identified as the ability to
resolve smaller differences.
Precision is sometimes stratified into:
Repeatability - the variation arising when all efforts are made to keep conditions
constant by using the same instrument and operator, and repeating during a short
time period; and
Reproducibility - the variation arising using the same measurement process
among different instruments and operators, and over longer time periods.
As stated before, you can be both accurate and precise. For instance, if all your arrows hit
the bull's eye of the target, they are all both near the "true value" (accurate) and near one
another (precise).
Something to think about: In the NFL, a place kicker makes 9 of 10 field goals, and
another makes 6 of 10. Even if the 6 that the second kicker made were straight down the
middle and the first kicker just made his in, he is still less accurate and less precise than
the first kicker. This differs from the darts example because either you make it or you do
not; there are not different levels of points that can be scored.