What does accuracy refer to in experimental measurements?

Accuracy refers to how close a measured value is to the true or accepted value of a quantity being measured. In the context of experimental measurements, achieving accuracy means that the measurements are reliable indicators of the actual value you are trying to measure. For example, if you were measuring the boiling point of water and obtained a value of 100 degrees Celsius, that value would be considered accurate if it closely reflects the true boiling point of water at standard atmospheric pressure.

The concept of accuracy is distinct from other measurement properties like precision, which deals with the consistency of measurements. While precision indicates how close the measurements are to one another, accuracy specifically concerns the proximity of the measurements to the true value. Understanding this distinction is crucial in experimental work, as it directly affects the reliability of the data collected.