Which statement correctly describes what the mean and standard deviation indicate in analytical results?

Which statement correctly describes what the mean and standard deviation indicate in analytical results?

• A. Accuracy
• B. Bias
• C. Correlation
• D. Precision

Answer: (D)

Precision is about how repeatable the measurements are. The mean gives the central value of the results, while the standard deviation shows how spread out those results are around that center. A small standard deviation means the measurements are tightly clustered, indicating high precision; a larger standard deviation means more variability, indicating lower precision. The mean alone doesn’t tell you how close those results are to the true value—that’s about accuracy. Correlation isn’t described by mean and spread. So, together, the mean and standard deviation indicate precision.

Precision is about how repeatable the measurements are. The mean gives the central value of the results, while the standard deviation shows how spread out those results are around that center. A small standard deviation means the measurements are tightly clustered, indicating high precision; a larger standard deviation means more variability, indicating lower precision. The mean alone doesn’t tell you how close those results are to the true value—that’s about accuracy. Correlation isn’t described by mean and spread. So, together, the mean and standard deviation indicate precision.