Verified Solution Physics Units and Measurements

A student measures the length of a rod four times and obtains the readings: 12.3 cm, 12.35 cm, 12.28 cm, and 12.32 cm. The actual length of the rod is 12.30 cm. Comment on the precision and accuracy of these measurements.

4 views 1 helpful Updated Jul 13, 2026
Solution ✔ Verified
Answer

The measurements are precise because they are very close to each other (they cluster around 12.31 cm, with a small range of 0.07 cm). The average of the readings (12.3125 cm) is very close to the actual length of 12.30 cm. Thus, the measurements are also accurate.

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