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.
Accuracy and Precision01:52

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.  Highly accurate measurements...
Accuracy and Precision01:52

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.  Highly accurate measurements...
Statistical Analysis: Overview01:11

Statistical Analysis: Overview

When we take repeated measurements on the same or replicated samples, we will observe inconsistencies in the magnitude. These inconsistencies are called errors. To categorize and characterize these results and their errors, the researcher can use statistical analysis to determine the quality of the measurements and/or suitability of the methods.
One of the most commonly used statistical quantifiers is the mean, which is the ratio between the sum of the numerical values of all results and the...
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...
Estimation of the Physical Quantities01:05

Estimation of the Physical Quantities

On many occasions, physicists, other scientists, and engineers need to make estimates of a particular quantity. These are sometimes referred to as guesstimates, order-of-magnitude approximations, back-of-the-envelope calculations, or Fermi calculations. The physicist Enrico Fermi was famous for his ability to estimate various kinds of data with surprising precision. Estimating does not mean guessing a number or a formula at random. Instead, estimation means using prior experience and sound...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Black carbon emissions generally underestimated in the global south as revealed by globally distributed measurements.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

Evaluating consistency of PM<sub>2.5</sub> chemical composition measurement in the Chemical Speciation Network (CSN) over time.

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995)·2025
Same author

Response from the authors of "Absorption photometry of patterned deposits on IMPROVE PTFE filters".

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995)·2025
Same author

Absorption photometry of patterned deposits on IMPROVE PTFE filters.

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995)·2024
Same author

Quantifying residual elemental carbon by thermal-optical analysis using an extended IMPROVE_A protocol with higher maximum temperature.

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995)·2022
Same author

Application of the U.S. EPA procedure for determining method detection limits to EDXRF measurement of filter-based aerosol samples.

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995)·2022
Same journal

From landfills to resources: Comprehensive characterization of industrial and commercial waste to support recovery pathways.

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995)·2026
Same journal

Urban ozone nonattainment: Interconnected challenges in the Intermountain Western U.S.

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995)·2026
Same journal

DynLink-AQ: Adaptive inter-station connectivity for multi-pollutant, multi-horizon air quality forecasting across Delhi.

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995)·2026
Same journal

Polonium-210 levels in placental maternal-fetal barrier: A pilot study conducted in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995)·2026
Same journal

China's carbon emissions trading system (ETS) helps the country slow down industrial solid waste accumulation.

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995)·2026
Same journal

Pyrolysis technologies for valorisation of healthcare waste: A review on processes, products, and challenges.

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995)·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Precision of In Vivo Quantitative Tooth Wear Measurement Using Intra-Oral Scans
09:10

Precision of In Vivo Quantitative Tooth Wear Measurement Using Intra-Oral Scans

Published on: July 12, 2022

Estimating precision using duplicate measurements.

Nicole Pauly Hyslop1, Warren H White

  • 1Crocker Nuclear Laboratory, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616-8569, USA. Hyslop@crocker.ucdavis.edu

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995)
|September 30, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Understanding precision metrics is crucial as no single standard exists. This study compares three methods using Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) data, finding percentile spread best represents measurement precision.

More Related Videos

Accuracy in Dental Medicine, A New Way to Measure Trueness and Precision
07:57

Accuracy in Dental Medicine, A New Way to Measure Trueness and Precision

Published on: April 29, 2014

Precision Measurements and Parametric Models of Vertebral Endplates
10:35

Precision Measurements and Parametric Models of Vertebral Endplates

Published on: September 17, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Precision of In Vivo Quantitative Tooth Wear Measurement Using Intra-Oral Scans
09:10

Precision of In Vivo Quantitative Tooth Wear Measurement Using Intra-Oral Scans

Published on: July 12, 2022

Accuracy in Dental Medicine, A New Way to Measure Trueness and Precision
07:57

Accuracy in Dental Medicine, A New Way to Measure Trueness and Precision

Published on: April 29, 2014

Precision Measurements and Parametric Models of Vertebral Endplates
10:35

Precision Measurements and Parametric Models of Vertebral Endplates

Published on: September 17, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Data Science

Background:

  • Precision is a critical but inconsistently defined metric in scientific measurements.
  • Varying calculation methods and inclusion criteria lead to diverse precision reports.
  • Understanding the basis of reported precision is essential for accurate data interpretation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate and compare different metrics for reporting measurement precision.
  • To illustrate the impact of various calculation approaches on precision estimates.
  • To identify the most suitable method for representing precision in environmental monitoring data.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized duplicate Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) measurements.
  • Calculated precision using three distinct metrics: root mean square (RMS) relative difference, mean absolute relative difference, and percentile spread.
  • Analyzed the relative differences between duplicate measurements to assess metric performance.

Main Results:

  • RMS relative difference tends to overestimate observed differences, creating wide distributions.
  • Percentile spread provides narrower distributions that closely fit the majority of observed differences.
  • Mean absolute relative difference yields estimates between RMS and percentile spread.
  • All methods underestimate differences for a small fraction of outlier data points.

Conclusions:

  • Percentile spread is a more representative metric for precision estimation in IMPROVE data compared to RMS or mean absolute difference.
  • The choice of precision metric significantly influences the interpretation of measurement variability.
  • Further research may be needed to address how outliers affect precision calculations.