Definition
Accuracy
Accuracy describes how close a result is to the value it is meant to represent.
Continue from this idea into connected AXIO math.
Boundary check: Closeness to the reference—not extra decimal places—decides accuracy.
What it means
A result is more accurate when it is closer to the best accepted value. Good tools and careful methods help, but a result can still be off. Accuracy is about closeness to the target value, not just writing many digits.
Remember it
Accuracy asks: how close did you land to the target value?
Example
The accepted length of a strip is 10.0 cm. Measurements of 9.9 cm and 10.1 cm are both close; 12.0 cm is not. Whether 9.9 cm is accurate enough depends on what the measurement is for.
Watch for
Accuracy is judged against a reference and a purpose; “exact” should not be claimed when the evidence only supports an approximation.
Common mix-up
Measurements can be precise but inaccurate: repeated readings may agree closely while all miss the accepted value.
Exact meaning
Accuracy is the closeness of a measurement, estimate, or reported result to the true value or an accepted reference value, judged with a suitable method and level of rounding for the context.