FAQS

Sure thing! Distinguishing between accuracy and precision can be tricky, and it can help a lot of people to put these words into a real world context. Let’s use golf as our example. Now, if a golfer hits a ball and gets a whole in one, that shot was accurate. If he hits a ball and it lands a mile from the hole, then his shot was inaccurate. This is because accuracy means being close to the true value, or in our example close to the pocket. Now, if that same golfer hits ten balls and they all land in the same sand pit, then his shots are precise. However, these shots are not accurate, since they are not near the hole. If the same golfer hits ten balls and they land all over the golf course, then his shots are not precise. In order to be precise, the golfer must hit all of the balls into the same area, whether that area is around the hole or not. Finally, if our golfer hits ten balls and they all land in the hole or right around it, then he has shown himself to be both accurate and precise.