Ari uses a tool called calipers to measure the diameter of different cylinders he is using in an experiment. His old calipers could measure down to 0.01 mm, but his new calipers only measure down to 0.1 mm. Are his new calipers less precise, less accurate, both less accurate and less precise, or neither less precise or less accurate?

Question

Physics

Kadin Rowe

16 November, 05:42

Ari uses a tool called calipers to measure the diameter of different cylinders he is using in an experiment. His old calipers could measure down to 0.01 mm, but his new calipers only measure down to 0.1 mm. Are his new calipers less precise, less accurate, both less accurate and less precise, or neither less precise or less accurate?

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Benjamin Mcdowell · Answer 1

Different measuring instruments have different level of precision. For example, our usual scale can measure upto 1 mm. Callipers can measure upto. 1 mm. screw gauge can measure upto. 01 mm. etc The deeper it can measure, the more precise it is. Hence screw gauge is most precise among the three.

On this basis we can say that, new caliper is less precise than old one.

Accuracy tells us about our result, how close our result is to the true measurement. It is dependent on the manner in which we take reading, So measuring methods, rather than measuring instruments, decide the accuracy of our result.

Hence we can say that the new caliper is less precise only.