Explain the difference between accuracy and precision in the context of measurements.

Accuracy refers to how close a measurement is to the true value, while precision refers to how close a set of measurements are to each other.

A student measures the boiling point of water three times and obtains the following values: 98.8 °C, 99.1 °C, and 98.9 °C. The actual boiling point of water is 100 °C. Describe the accuracy and precision of the student's measurements.

The measurements are precise because they are close to each other, but they are not accurate because they are not close to the true value of 100 °C.

A balance that consistently measures every object as 0.5 grams heavier than its actual mass.

I can differentiate between accuracy and precision when making measurements in a chemistry lab.

1
Accuracy refers to how close a measured value is to the true value, while precision refers to how close a set of measurements are to each other.
2
A data set can be accurate but imprecise due to human error, or inaccurate but precise due to faulty calibration of an instrument.
3
When taking measurements, always estimate one digit beyond the scale that is reported on the measuring instrument; however, counting numbers and defined values have infinite precision.