Accurate and correct

Question

Hi What is the difference between correct and accurate?For example, can you correctly pronounce all the zodiac signs?Is correctly and accurately interchangeable?Thanks

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

martinlee Hi What is the difference between correct and accurate?For example, can you correctly pronounce all the zodiac signs?Is correctly and accurately interchangeable?Thanks

What did you not understand in the answer given here? Correct, accurate, right

CJ

Martinlee · Answer

Hi

Can I replace 'accurately ' with 'correctly' in the following example?

Example:Can you correctly pronounce all the zodiac signs?

Thanks

Blue Jay · Answer

I would use Correctly rather than Accurately here. Either you pronounce them right, or you don't.

Martinlee · Answer

Thanks so much. Actually, I don't throw the differences between 'accurate' and 'correct'.

Thanks.

CalifJim · Answer

martinleeThanks so much. Actually, I don't throw the differences between 'accurate' and 'correct'.Thanks.

Nor the difference between 'know' and 'throw' apparently.

Accuracy has to do with exactness (precision) in measuring. Measure the distance from the floor to the ceiling in the room where you are located now. If you say "About 8 feet" you have probably not made a very accurate measurement. Eight feet three inches may be more accurate. Eight feet two and seven-eighths inches may be even more accurate.

By some standards, you may be correct saying that a year has 365 days, but it would be more accurate to say that a year has 365 and 1/4 days. It would be even more accurate if you expressed it in days, hours, and minutes.

CJ

Martinlee · Answer

Thanks so much.
Do 'accuracy', 'exactness' and 'precision' mean the same?

Thanks

CalifJim · Answer

martinleeDo 'accuracy', 'exactness' and 'precision' mean the same?

Yes.

CJ

Blue Jay · Answer

It depends on who is using the terms. In everyday use, exactness and precision are generally thought of as being more or less the same.
It weighs exactly 50 kg. It weighs precisely 50 kg.
In technical use they are not the same.
Exactness is whether you get the correct result.
Accuracy is how close you get to the correct result.
Precision is whether you get the same result.
Suppose you have an object that weighs 100.00 kg, and you weigh it using different scales.
You weigh it five times with the first scale, and it reads 100.00 kg each time. This scale is precise, accurate and exact.
You weigh it five times with the second scale, and it reads 106.93 kg every time. This scale is precise (you got the same result each time), but not accurate (because it isn't very close to the correct value) nor exact.
You weigh it five times with the third scale, and it reads 99.47 kg, 99.76 kg, 100.04 kg, 100.22 kg and 100.51 kg. This scale is accurate (because every result is close to the true value, and the mean value is 100.00 kg), but not precise nor exact.

Martinlee · Answer

Thank you so much.
Your explanationa help a lot.??????????

Anonymous · Answer

NO!!! There is a huge difference between accuracy and precision.  Ask anyone that has every shot at a target.  Or google it.

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