Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Uncertainty in Measurement: Accuracy and Precision03:37

Uncertainty in Measurement: Accuracy and Precision

Scientists typically make repeated measurements of a quantity to ensure the quality of their findings and to evaluate both the precision and the accuracy of their results. Measurements are said to be precise if they yield very similar results when repeated in the same manner. A measurement is considered accurate if it yields a result that is very close to the true or the accepted value. Precise values agree with each other; accurate values agree with a true value.
Uncertainty: Overview00:59

Uncertainty: Overview

In analytical chemistry, we often perform repetitive measurements to detect and minimize inaccuracies caused by both determinate and indeterminate errors. Despite the cares we take, the presence of random errors means that repeated measurements almost never have exactly the same magnitude. The collective difference between these measurements - observed values - and the estimated or expected value is called uncertainty. Uncertainty is conventionally written after the estimated or expected value.
Uncertainty in Measurement: Reading Instruments02:46

Uncertainty in Measurement: Reading Instruments

Counting is the type of measurement that is free from uncertainty, provided the number of objects being counted does not change during the process. Such measurements result in exact numbers. By counting the eggs in a carton, for instance, one can determine exactly how many eggs are there in the carton. Similarly, the numbers of defined quantities are also exact. For example, 1 foot is exactly 12 inches, 1 inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters, and 1 gram is exactly 0.001 kilograms. Quantities...
Random and Systematic Errors01:20

Random and Systematic Errors

Scientists always try their best to record measurements with the utmost accuracy and precision. However, sometimes errors do occur. These errors can be random or systematic. Random errors are observed due to the inconsistency or fluctuation in the measurement process, or variations in the quantity itself that is being measured. Such errors fluctuate from being greater than or less than the true value in repeated measurements. Consider a scientist measuring the length of an earthworm using a...
Random and Systematic Errors01:20

Random and Systematic Errors

Scientists always try their best to record measurements with the utmost accuracy and precision. However, sometimes errors do occur. These errors can be random or systematic. Random errors are observed due to the inconsistency or fluctuation in the measurement process, or variations in the quantity itself that is being measured. Such errors fluctuate from being greater than or less than the true value in repeated measurements. Consider a scientist measuring the length of an earthworm using a...
Propagation of Uncertainty from Systematic Error01:10

Propagation of Uncertainty from Systematic Error

The atomic mass of an element varies due to the relative ratio of its isotopes. A sample's relative proportion of oxygen isotopes influences its average atomic mass. For instance, if we were to measure the atomic mass of oxygen from a sample, the mass would be a weighted average of the isotopic masses of oxygen in that sample. Since a single sample is not likely to perfectly reflect the true atomic mass of oxygen for all the molecules of oxygen on Earth, the mass we obtain from this particular...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

GLOWORM-META: modelling gastrointestinal nematode metapopulation dynamics to inform cattle biosecurity research.

International journal for parasitology·2025
Same author

Welding techniques and manganese concentrations in blood and brain: Results from the WELDFUMES study.

Neurotoxicology·2024
Same author

Real-time single-base specific detection of the Haemonchus contortus S168T variant associated with levamisole resistance using loop-primer endonuclease cleavage loop-mediated isothermal amplification.

Molecular and cellular probes·2023
Same author

Secondary Lip Flow in a Cyclone Separator.

Flow, turbulence and combustion·2023
Same author

Genomic landscape of drug response reveals mediators of anthelmintic resistance.

Cell reports·2022
Same author

Genomic and transcriptomic variation defines the chromosome-scale assembly of Haemonchus contortus, a model gastrointestinal worm.

Communications biology·2020

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Split Point Analysis and Uncertainty Quantification of Thermal-Optical Organic/Elemental Carbon Measurements
10:22

Split Point Analysis and Uncertainty Quantification of Thermal-Optical Organic/Elemental Carbon Measurements

Published on: September 7, 2019

Measurement uncertainty.

David Bartley1, Göran Lidén

  • 1Annals of Occupational Hygiene, 3904 Pocahontas Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45227, USA. dbartley@eos.net <dbartley@eos.net>

The Annals of Occupational Hygiene
|June 25, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Measurement uncertainty reporting now harmonizes method characteristics, including systematic error and bias. This approach links accuracy and uncertainty using the non-central Student

Area of Science:

  • Metrology
  • Measurement Science
  • Statistical Analysis

Background:

  • Recent harmonization in measurement uncertainty reporting integrates method characteristics.
  • Systematic errors and bias are now componentwise included in uncertainty assessments.
  • Establishing the uncertainty in bias is crucial for accurate measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide meaning to measurement uncertainty through prediction confidence.
  • To link concepts of accuracy and uncertainty.
  • To approximate a random variable using the non-central Student's t-distribution.

Main Methods:

  • Componentwise combination of measurement method characteristics.
  • Establishing uncertainty in bias.
  • Approximation using the non-central Student's t-distribution.

More Related Videos

Measurement of Spatial Stability in Precision Grip
09:36

Measurement of Spatial Stability in Precision Grip

Published on: June 4, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Split Point Analysis and Uncertainty Quantification of Thermal-Optical Organic/Elemental Carbon Measurements
10:22

Split Point Analysis and Uncertainty Quantification of Thermal-Optical Organic/Elemental Carbon Measurements

Published on: September 7, 2019

Measurement of Spatial Stability in Precision Grip
09:36

Measurement of Spatial Stability in Precision Grip

Published on: June 4, 2020

Main Results:

  • A method for developing prediction confidence in uncertainty-based intervals.
  • Established a link between accuracy and uncertainty.
  • Demonstrated the utility of the non-central Student's t-distribution approximation.

Conclusions:

  • Harmonized reporting enhances the understanding and application of measurement uncertainty.
  • The developed link between accuracy and uncertainty provides deeper insights.
  • The non-central Student's t-distribution offers a valuable tool for uncertainty analysis.