Question

Two students each made four measurements of the mass of an object. Their results are shown in the table below. $$\begin{array}{lll} \hline & \text { Student A } & \text { Student B } \\ \hline \text { Four measurements: } & 51.6,50.8, & 50.1,49.6, \\ & 52.2,50.2 \mathrm{g} & 51.0,49.4 \mathrm{g} \\ \text { Their average: } & 51.3 \mathrm{g} & 50.0 \mathrm{g} \\ \hline \end{array}$$ The exact mass of the object is $51.0 \mathrm{g}$. Whose results are more precise, Student A's or Student B's? Whose results are more accurate?

Name: Problem 110, Chapter 1: General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications
Uploaded: 2020-06-22T00:08:28-08:00
Duration: 24 s
Channel: David Collins
Description: Two students each made four measurements of the mass of an object. Their results are shown in the table below. Student A Student B Four measurements: 51.6,50.8, 50.1,49.6, 52.2,50.2 g 51.0,49.4 g Their average: 51.3 g 50.0 g The exact mass of the object is 51.0 g. Whose results are more precise, Student A's or Student B's? Whose results are more accurate?

   Two students each made four measurements of the mass of an object. Their results are shown in the table below.
$$\begin{array}{lll}
\hline & \text { Student A } & \text { Student B } \\
\hline \text { Four measurements: } & 51.6,50.8, & 50.1,49.6, \\
& 52.2,50.2 \mathrm{g} & 51.0,49.4 \mathrm{g} \\
\text { Their average: } & 51.3 \mathrm{g} & 50.0 \mathrm{g} \\
\hline
\end{array}$$
The exact mass of the object is $51.0 \mathrm{g}$. Whose results are more precise, Student A's or Student B's? Whose results are more accurate?

General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications

Ralph H. Petrucci,… 11th Edition

Chapter 1, Problem 110

Instant Answer

Solved by Expert David Collins

06/22/2020

Step 1

Precision refers to how close the measurements are to each other, regardless of whether they are close to the true value or not. Accuracy, on the other hand, refers to how close the measurements are to the true value. Show more…

Show all steps

Thanks for your feedback!

Two students each made four measurements of the mass of an object. Their results are shown in the table below. $$\begin{array}{lll} \hline & \text { Student A } & \text { Student B } \\ \hline \text { Four measurements: } & 51.6,50.8, & 50.1,49.6, \\ & 52.2,50.2 \mathrm{g} & 51.0,49.4 \mathrm{g} \\ \text { Their average: } & 51.3 \mathrm{g} & 50.0 \mathrm{g} \\ \hline \end{array}$$ The exact mass of the object is $51.0 \mathrm{g}$. Whose results are more precise, Student A's or Student B's? Whose results are more accurate?

Play audio

Feedback

David Collins and 64 other subject Chemistry 101 educators are ready to help you.

Ask a new question

Labs

Want to see this concept in action?

NEW

Explore this concept interactively to see how it behaves as you change inputs.

View Labs

Key Concepts

Accuracy

Accuracy refers to how close a measurement or set of measurements are to the true or accepted value. In experimental contexts, accurate results show little systematic error, meaning that the average of the measurements is near the actual value. Analyzing accuracy helps determine the correctness of the measurement system and whether any biases are present.

Precision

Precision relates to the reproducibility or consistency of a set of measurements, regardless of their closeness to the true value. High precision indicates that repeated measurements yield very similar results, demonstrating low random error. This concept is crucial for determining the reliability of the measurement process, even if the measurements may be consistently off from the actual value.

Please give Ace some feedback