The discussion clarifies the definitions of "uncertainty" and "error" in measurement contexts. Error is defined as the difference between a measured value and the true value, while uncertainty is quantified as the statistical standard deviation of repeated measurements. The conversation emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between accuracy, which relates to how close a measurement is to the true value, and precision, which pertains to the spread of measured values. Systematic errors affect accuracy, while random errors impact precision.
PREREQUISITESResearchers, scientists, and students in fields requiring precise measurements, such as physics, engineering, and statistics, will benefit from this discussion.
queenstudy said:hi this is my first physical post , i hope i find the right help
i just want to know the meaning of uncertainty and the difference between unceratinty and errors any explanation would help
Andy Resnick said:When analyzing an experiment, it's sometimes useful to separately consider 'accuracy' and 'precision'. Accuracy is how well the (average) measured value agrees with the 'true' value, which may be determined by use of a standard, and your term 'error' may correspond to 'accuracy'. Precision refers to the spread of measured values, which may refer to your term 'uncertainty'. It's possible to have very precise and inaccurate measurements, poor precision and high accuracy, or some other combination. Loss of accuracy is sometimes called 'systematic error', while lack of precision is sometimes called 'random error'.
http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/error/error_f.html
Also, there is uncertainty in the underlying object itself if stochastic processes are present. One way to think about this is that we have imprecise information about the object (or process).