The mean and STD deviation of a series of analytical results is a way of stating the accuracy of the procedure.

The mean and STD deviation of a series of analytical results is a way of stating the accuracy of the procedure.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not determinable
• D. Sometimes true

Answer: (B)

Accuracy means how close your results are to the true value, while precision refers to how consistently you can reproduce results. The mean of a series tells you the central value, and the standard deviation tells you how spread out the results are. If you compare the mean to a known true value, you can assess bias (accuracy), but the standard deviation by itself only shows precision (repeatability). A small spread doesn’t guarantee results are near the true value, and a biased mean can produce poor accuracy even with a tight spread. Without referencing a true value, you can’t state the procedure’s accuracy from the mean and standard deviation alone. So, this statement is false.

Accuracy means how close your results are to the true value, while precision refers to how consistently you can reproduce results. The mean of a series tells you the central value, and the standard deviation tells you how spread out the results are. If you compare the mean to a known true value, you can assess bias (accuracy), but the standard deviation by itself only shows precision (repeatability). A small spread doesn’t guarantee results are near the true value, and a biased mean can produce poor accuracy even with a tight spread. Without referencing a true value, you can’t state the procedure’s accuracy from the mean and standard deviation alone. So, this statement is false.