Which term describes the degree of closeness of measurements to the actual value?

Which term describes the degree of closeness of measurements to the actual value?

• A. Precision
• B. Reliability
• C. Accuracy
• D. Validity

Answer: (C)

Accuracy describes how close measured values are to the true or actual value. If your measurements line up with the real quantity, you’ve achieved accuracy. For example, measuring a known weight of 100 g and getting readings like 99.8 g, 100.1 g, and 99.9 g shows high accuracy because the results are near the true value. Precision, in contrast, is about how repeatable or consistent the measurements are with each other, regardless of how close they are to the true value—so you could be very precise but not accurate if there’s a systematic bias. Reliability refers to consistency over time or trials, and validity concerns whether the measurement method actually measures what it’s intended to measure.

Accuracy describes how close measured values are to the true or actual value. If your measurements line up with the real quantity, you’ve achieved accuracy. For example, measuring a known weight of 100 g and getting readings like 99.8 g, 100.1 g, and 99.9 g shows high accuracy because the results are near the true value. Precision, in contrast, is about how repeatable or consistent the measurements are with each other, regardless of how close they are to the true value—so you could be very precise but not accurate if there’s a systematic bias. Reliability refers to consistency over time or trials, and validity concerns whether the measurement method actually measures what it’s intended to measure.