Question

Absolute error of the measurement is

• A. the difference between the individual measurement and the true value of the quantity cubed.
• B. the difference between the individual measurement and the true value of the quantity squared.
• C. the difference between two individual measurements and their mean
• D. the difference between the individual measurement and the true value of the quantity

Answer 1

Answer: (D)

D

Answer 2

The absolute error of a measurement is defined as the magnitude of the difference between the individual measured value and the true value of the quantity.

Let's analyze the given options:

• A) the difference between the individual measurement and the true value of the quantity cubed. This is incorrect. The definition does not involve cubing.

• B) the difference between the individual measurement and the true value of the quantity squared. This is incorrect. The definition does not involve squaring.

• C) the difference between two individual measurements and their mean. This describes a deviation from the mean, but not the standard definition of absolute error with respect to the true value. Also, the phrasing is a bit ambiguous ("two individual measurements and their mean").

• D) the difference between the individual measurement and the true value of the quantity. This option correctly identifies the two quantities whose difference is taken. While the formal definition of "absolute error" implies taking the magnitude (absolute value) of this difference to ensure the error is always non-negative, this option provides the core components of the definition. Compared to the other options which introduce incorrect mathematical operations, this is the most accurate description.

Therefore, the most appropriate definition among the given choices is D.