Lesson 3.

Accuracy and Precision

General Chemistry 1
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
In science, measurement is an integral part in quantifying
matter.

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A measurement is
obtained by
comparing a quantity
with a standard unit.
For weight, the
standard unit is
kilograms (kg).
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For length, the
standard unit is
centimeters (cm) or
inches (in).
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But when do you say that a
measurement is accurate or
precise?

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Learning Competency
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

Differentiate between accuracy and precision

(STEM_GC11MT-Ib-13).

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 Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Differentiate between accuracy and precision.

● Analyze the accuracy and precision in a given set of

measurements.

● Justify the importance of accuracy and precision in

chemistry.
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What is the difference
between accuracy and
precision?

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 Accuracy and Precision

● All measurements are subject to uncertainty.

● The choice of the correct instrument for measurement:
the concept of accuracy and precision
● “accurate” and “precise”
○ used to describe measurements
○ often interchanged but have different meanings

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 Accuracy and Precision

Accuracy
● the closeness of a measurement to the true or
accepted value.

Precision
● the degree of agreement between successive
measurements using a given instrument (how close
measurements are to each other). 10
 Accuracy and Precision

● darts: a good visualization of

accuracy and precision
○ bull’s eye or center of the
dartboard - the true value
○ the closer the dart pins are
to the bull’s eye, the more
accurate they are The dart pins that are close to the
target show high accuracy. 11
 Accuracy and Precision

The image on the left shows high precision since the dart pins are close to one
another, while the image on the right shows low precision since the dart pins are far
away from one another. 12
 Accuracy and Precision

● Precision is not dependent on

accuracy.
● A set of measurement can be
very precise but not accurate.
○ dart pins land close to one
another but are far from
Visual representation of low
the bull’s eye
accuracy and low precision
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measurements.
How do you analyze the
accuracy and precision in
measurements?

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 Analyzing the Accuracy and Precision

● Analyzing the accuracy and precision of

measurements - to determine the validity of the data
obtained in an experiment.
● Best quality of data if they exhibit high accuracy and
high precision

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 Let’s Practice!

The mass of a 75.0 gram standard sample of a

substance is measured using an analytical balance.
The measurements are listed below. Are the
measurements accurate? Are they precise?
Trial Mass of sample (g)
1 74.8
2 74.7
3 74.9 16
 Let’s Practice!

The mass of a 75.0 gram standard sample of a substance

is measured using an analytical balance. The
measurements are listed below. Are the measurements
accurate? Are they precise?

The measurements are precise since the values are

close to each other. They are also accurate since they
are close to the true value, which is 75.0 grams.
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 Let’s Practice!

Describe the precision and accuracy of the temperature

readings for five days as shown below.

Day Forecasted Temperature (oC) Actual Temperature (oC)

1 27.8

2 28.4

3 29.6 31.5

4 30.0

5 29.9
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 Let’s Practice!

Describe the precision and accuracy of the temperature

readings for five days as shown below.

The forecasted temperature readings show high

precision since their values are close to one another.
However, it may be inferred that the temperature
readings are not that accurate since they fall far from
the forecasted values.
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 Analyzing the Accuracy and Precision

● Range
○ the difference between the highest and lowest
values of measurement
○ to determine the precision of multiple sets of data

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 Let’s Practice!

Which group had a more precise set of measurements of the

mass of a 150 gram metal ball?

Mass (g)
Group
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5

1 142.7 145.8 149.5 143.4 148.9

2 149.7 148.5 148.1 149.5 150.2

3 135.9 140.8 151.2 145.7 146.3

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 Let’s Practice!

Which group had a more precise set of measurements of the mass

of a 150 gram metal ball?

The range of values for each group are as follows:

Group 1 range = 149.5 – 142.7 = 6.8
Group 2 range = 149.7 – 148.1 = 1.6
Group 3 range = 151.2 – 135.9 = 15.3

Group 2 obtained the most precise measurements

(lowest range), while Group 3 had the lowest precision
(highest range).
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Remember

Below is a mnemonic that you can use to

easily differentiate accuracy and precision:

ACcurate is Correct (or Close to real value)

while
PRecise is Repeating (or Repeatable values).

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What is the importance of
accuracy and precision in
chemistry?

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 Accuracy and Precision in Chemistry

● Having accurate and precise

measurements is important
in presenting data and
solution preparation.

A chemist uses different measuring

tools to quantify substances that are
used in making chemical products. 25
 Accuracy and Precision in Chemistry

● Having accurate
measurements of each
substance that make up a
chemical productive is
important to ensure its
quality.
In chemical preparation, it is necessary
to have accurate measurements of
substances. 26
Why is accuracy and precision
important in chemistry?

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 Check Your Understanding

Tell whether the given statement describe accuracy or

precision.

1. It refers to how close a measurement is to the true

value.
2. This pertains to how close measurements are to each
other.
3. It is the degree of agreement between successive
measurements using a given instrument.
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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● Accuracy refers to how close a measurement is

to the true or accepted value.
○ The closer the value of the obtained
measurement to the true value, the higher the
accuracy it shows.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● Precision refers to how close a group of

measurements is to each other.
○ To determine the precision of multiple sets of
data, the range or difference between the
highest and lowest values obtained must be
computed.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● Accuracy and precision in measurements is

significant in chemistry particularly in chemical
preparations and determining physical properties
of matter.

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Challenge Yourself

When do you say that a given set of

measurements is high in precision
but low accuracy?

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Bibliography

Buckley, Don. Interactive Science: Chemistry. United States of America.: Pearson Education, 2011. Print.

Handwerker, Mark J. Science Essentials. San Francisco, CA.: Jossey-Bass, 2005. Print.

Hawe, Alan., Davies, Dan., McMahon, Kendra., Towler, Lee., Collier, Christopher., and Scott, Tonie.
Science 5 - 11: A Guide for Teachers. 2nd Edition. New York, NY: David Fulton Publishers, 2009.
Print.

Petrucci, Ralph H. General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications. Toronto, Ont.: Pearson
Canada, 2011. Print.

Wolf, Jonathan S. Easy Physics: Step-by-step. United States of America.: The McGraw Hill Companies,
2013. Print.
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