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| Authored by: albert on Wednesday, May 29 2013 @ 07:10 PM EDT |
accuracy - technical, the degree to which the result of a measurement,
calculation, or specification conforms to the correct value or a standard: the
accuracy of radiocarbon dating.
precision - technical, refinement in a measurement, calculation, or
specification, especially as represented by the number of digits given: a
technique which examines and identifies each character with the highest level of
precision.
both from oxforddictionaries.com
I would say: "that news story is accurate"
I would say: that measurement of length is accurate with a precision of +/- 0.1
mm.
I would use 'precision' when something is clearly quantifiable.
But that's me. 'Accuracy' seems to be more useful than 'precision' in most
cases.
That's my 0.02€
[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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| Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, May 29 2013 @ 07:29 PM EDT |
Any Numerical Analysis textbook will discuss (in chapter 1) the (EXTREMELY
IMPORTANT!) difference between accuracy and precision. The concepts will also
have to be discussed early in any science course that involves actual
quantitative measurements (chemistry, physics, etc.)[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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| Authored by: tknarr on Wednesday, May 29 2013 @ 08:43 PM EDT |
In casual use the two terms are interchangeable. But scientists and technical
types need to distinguish between:
- How many decimal places (or
significant digits) are there in my measurement?
- How close is my
measurement to the actual value?
The norm is that "precision" is used
for the first and "accuracy" for the second. In casual use most people assume
that if the measurement isn't accurate you don't care much about the precision,
which leads to the parallel assumption that if you're precise you must be
accurate (or you wouldn't be talking about precision), which leads to the
interchangeability.[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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| Authored by: PolR on Wednesday, May 29 2013 @ 10:07 PM EDT |
| Guys, please explain to me why the meaning of these terms in numerical analysis
is relevant to news coverage. I just don't see what is wrong with the ordinary
meanings of the words.
Since someone brings up oxforddictionaries.com, here
is what I read.
The
definition of accuracy
the quality or state of being correct or
precise
The
definition of precision
the quality, condition, or fact of
being exact and accurate
If this isn't a pair of circular
references I don't know what is.[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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| Authored by: artp on Wednesday, May 29 2013 @ 10:17 PM EDT |
We want each news medium to be accurate. We want all the
news media to be precise across the spectrum of their
collective reporting.
I'm used to the engineering definitions of accuracy and
precision. An engineering drawing has dimensions recorded as
" x =/- y " where x is the accuracy, and y is the precision.
This is not quite the same as looking at the number of
digits of precision that a value has. Engineering notes that
some values are overspecified and have too many digits.
Digits alone do not provide precision.
But there is a mathematical term that looks at digits of
precision. So confusion ensues.
Precision is what enabled the Industrial Revolution and
replaceable parts. Repeatability is crucial.
To repeat a description using a dartboard:
Accuracy is where the circle of darts is centered. Precision
is how big the circle is.
Accuracy is using a tape measure to determine a dimension on
a valve. Precision is everybody else laughing because the
valve face is specified to thousandths of an inch. :-)
---
Userfriendly on WGA server outage:
When you're chained to an oar you don't think you should go down when the galley
sinks ?[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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| Authored by: Doghouse on Thursday, May 30 2013 @ 06:16 AM EDT |
...dictonary.com is precise but not always accurate.
Dictionaries
merely document language usage. Almost all are very blunt instruments; they
simply don't have the level of detail to allow a reader to understand the
nuances associated with the use of particular words - you need something of the
scale and content of the OED if you're going to even begin to get that. So the
fact that a dictionary (or a thesaurus) equates two words does NOT mean that
those words genuinely have identical meaning in all (or, indeed, in any)
circumstances.
In this case, there's a casual tendency to use the two
terms interchangeably, which is what the dictionary is documenting. Whereas
anyone familiar with using the two in a technical context understands that their
meanings encompass two related but different concepts (well illustrated by some
of the examples given). Your dictionary of choice simply isn't up to the task of
communicating the distinct concepts involved. [ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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