CST Level 1 Land Surveyor Certification Practice

What does 'precision' refer to in the context of measurements?

1. The closeness to the true value

2. The scale of the instrument

3. The consistency of repeated measurements

4. The accuracy of the instrument

The correct answer is: The consistency of repeated measurements

In the context of measurements, 'precision' specifically refers to the consistency of repeated measurements. This means that if you take multiple measurements under the same conditions, precision indicates how closely those measurements agree with each other. High precision implies that the measurements are closely grouped together, while low precision suggests a greater spread between the measurements. Precision does not consider how close those measurements are to the true or actual value; that aspect is covered by the concept of accuracy. The scale of the instrument relates to the smallest increments that the instrument can measure, which is different from precision. Similarly, the accuracy of the instrument indicates how close the measured value is to the true value but does not relate to the consistency of repeated measurements. Therefore, understanding that precision focuses solely on the repeatability and consistency of measurement results is crucial in the field of surveying and measurement.