In scientific measurement, what does precision refer to?

Precision in scientific measurements refers to the ability to produce consistent results when measurements are repeatedly taken under the same conditions. This means that if an experiment or measurement is carried out multiple times, a precise measurement will yield results that are very close to each other, even if those results may not necessarily be close to the true or accepted value.

In other words, precision emphasizes the reproducibility of measurements rather than their accuracy. Accurate measurements reflect how close the results are to the true value, while precise measurements indicate the degree of variability between repeated measurements. Thus, someone can take multiple measurements and consistently obtain the same result, demonstrating high precision, regardless of whether those measurements are correct in relation to the actual standard or target value.