Measurement error
Definition
The discrepancy between a recorded value and the true value of the property being measured. Arises from instrument calibration limits, analyst technique, environmental conditions, and procedure-specific factors. Distinct from natural variability in the material itself.
Related terms
- Accuracy
- The degree to which a measured value agrees with the accepted true or reference value of the quantity. A biased instrument can...
- Between-class variability
- The spread of measurements between items from different sources or categories. A forensic method is most discriminating when between-class variability is large...
- Precision
- The degree to which repeated measurements of the same specimen under the same conditions agree with each other. Quantified by the standard...
- Repeatability
- The agreement between successive measurements of the same specimen made by the same analyst, on the same instrument, in the same laboratory,...
- Within-class variability
- The natural spread of measurements among items that share a common source, class, or category. For example, the range of refractive index...
Explained in
- Variability and Measurement ErrorThe discrepancy between a recorded value and the true value of the property being measured. Arises from instrument calibration limits, analyst technique, envir...