virus: RE : TT : Accuracy & Precision

Tadeusz Niwinski (niwinska@direct.ca)
Sun, 03 Nov 1996 00:21:45 -0800


Hakeeb A. Nandalal wrote:
>Tadeusz Niwinski wrote :-
>> BTW, I do not know a difference between accuracy and precision.
>
>Accuracy : The degree of agreement of the measurements with the true
>value of the magnitude of the quantity measured.
>
>Precision : The quality of being exactly or sharply defined or stated.
>A measure of the precision of a representation is the number of
>distinguishable alternatives from which it was selected, which is sometimes
>indicated by the number of significant digits it contains. Used for exactness.
>
>So I could say :-
>
>(a) Pi is 3.14
>
>(b) Pi is 3.123456789
>
>Therefore
>
>(a) is more accurate but less precise than (b)
>
>while
>
>(b) is more precise but less accurate than (a).

Is 12345.678901234 even more precise then b in your opinion?

Now the definition of precision introduces two new concepts:
what is exact an what is sharp?

Note the word "sometimes" in your definition (Level-3 favourite):
"sometimes indicated by the number of significant digits it contains",
which means that 3.14 may still be more precise (if this map of O.R. is
more USEFUL:-)).

"Used for exactness" - and what does this mean?

>I would have to say that the discussions pertaining to truth and reality
>on the Virus Board tend to hone in on very precise definitions of these
>terms but we have no way of ascertaining the accuracy of these definitions.

Sharply speaking -- not exactly :-). According to your interpretation
a definition with more words (or characters used?) is more precise. Is it?

Besides, these are not level-3 definitions: accuracy is based on "true value".
The truth has bad reputation on this Board. It's not cool to base any
definition on "true value". It's good for level-1 chimps only. :-)

If you really want me to get out of my cave where precision and accuracy
sleep together you will have to define what "exact" and "sharp" are
(not to mention the "sometimes").

BTW. It's nice to learn that TT also stands for "Trinidad & Tobago". My
original thought was "true truth" (and also Teresa and Tad, where the name
of our planet TeTa comes from). Do you think TT exists?

---------------------
Tad Niwinski from TeTa where people grow
3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841
There is no Absolute Truth, although we are getting closer and closer to IT.