Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 30, 2026

Estimating Vestibular Perceptual Thresholds Using a Six-Degree-Of-Freedom Motion Platform
Published on: August 4, 2022
The accuracy of guestimates
Iain McLean1, C Mary Anderson, Cath White
1Academic Unit of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Manchester, UK.
Abstract:
At times a clinician must describe the size of a lesion when measurement presents difficulties. A 'guestimate' may then be recorded. We tested the accuracy of forensic clinicians (10 physicians and 1 nurse) in guestimating the sizes of ten test objects, comparing their performance with 13 individuals from other professions. The participants were permitted to handle the objects but not to use a measuring device. For three of the objects (a balloon, a scratch and a coin) the entire sample of participants significantly overestimated size, by 13-22%. Both participant groups overestimated the size of a scratch, the clinicians being more accurate but not significantly so. Guestimates should be avoided unless the use of a ruler or tape measure will be against the interests of the client.
Related Concept Videos
Estimation of the Physical Quantities
Uncertainty in Measurement: Accuracy and Precision
Accuracy, limits, and approximation
Accuracy is defined as the closeness of the measured value to the true or actual value. In engineering mechanics, repeated measurements are taken during theoretical or experimental analyses to ensure that the result is precise and accurate.
The accuracy of any solution is based on the...
What are Estimates?
The estimate for the mean of a sample is denoted by ͞x, whereas the mean of the population is designated as μ. Further, parameters such as the mean,...
Accuracy and Errors in Hypothesis Testing
In hypothesis testing, the probability of making a Type I error, denoted as α, is commonly set at 0.05. This significance level indicates a 5% chance...
Accuracy and Precision