Errors, Uncertainty and Outliers

Random Errors

Affect the precision of a mesurement and are present in all measurements except for measurements involving counting

unpredictable errors in the measurement

systematic errors

affect the accuracy of the measurement, cause readings to differ from the true value by a consistent amount or by the same proportion each time a measurement is made

personal errors

includes mistakes, miscalculations and observer errors when conducting research

uncertainty

all scientific errors are directed towards reducing the degree of uncertainty in the world about observations

the uncertainty of the result of a measurement reflects the lack of exact knowledge of the value being measured

outliers

readings that lie a long way from other results are sometimes called outliers