precise vs. accurate 4

[j0ckser]

i am familiar with the definitions of these words re numbers, but am not so sure about using these with sentences.

e.g., "...writing contracts requires very precise (OR very accurate) wording."

thesaurus.reference.com isn't very helpful in that the synonyms are interchangable.

dictionary.reference.com is somewhat better, but i'd like a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th ...) opinion.

per ardua ad astra

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

I wouldn't use either in that context. I think "correct and unambiguous" might be a better choice.

Some alternatives (or additions) for consideration;
clear
concise
succinct


[Cheers]

 

[Stella740pl]

Take a look at this: thread1256-1261327. Anything like what you are looking for?

 

[Lunatic]

In general I think precise must be more detailed than accurate. Additionally, precise does not need to be accurate.

I think the best way to think of them is:
Precise = high level of detail
Accurate = high degree of correctness/validity

We would generally infer that something that is precise is accurate, but how many of us have tried using very precise instructions, only to find that the instructions were written for a different set of parts than what we were provided?

Again we would generally infer that something that is accurate is precise as well, but then we all went to college/university/work and found that some professors/bosses wouldn't accept short, concise work and thus we had to add filler. So while our work is still accurate, it would be a stretch to say it is still precise.

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[ESquared]

Precision can be inaccurate. It refers to the amount of possible variation and not to the correctness of placement.

If I throw 5 darts and each one lands exactly in the upper left corner of the dart board, all touching in a ring, and I was aiming at the bulls-eye, I am very precise, but inaccurate.

If I throw 5 darts and get one in the exact center of the bulls-eye, with the others randomly spaced around that within 2 inches, I am quite accurate, but less precise than previously (my spread is greater).

Precise language can have this same problem: very exact, but incorrect. Accurate language giving the correct instructions can skip steps or be less specific.

 

[Ladyazh]

WOW Esguared!
Thanks (and I haven't even asked the question

 

[j0ckser]

thank you all for taking the time to offer your thoughts.
* stars to ESquared and Lunatic.
* thanks to Stella740pl for her link.
* thanks also to CorBlimeyLimey for the alternate suggestions.
* i think i will use both words in my sentence as neither conveys the notion correctly on its own.

per ardua ad astra

 

[Trevoke]

I think you should go with CorBlimey's suggestion, as it is more appropriate to wording.

"That time in Seattle... was a nightmare. I came out of it dead broke, without a house, without anything except a girlfriend and a knowledge of UNIX."
"Well, that's something," Avi says. "Normally those two are mutually exclusive."
-- Neal Stephenson, "Cryptonomicon"

 

[RodKnowlton]

There is also false precision, when data is presented in a way that impies higher precision than is actually available. The canonical example, as given in the article linked, is the North American idea that 98.6 F is the normal human body temperature.

- Rod

 

[ESquared]

How does one have false precision in language?

Here's how:

I like cats.
I like food.

Therefore, I must like cat food!

 

[fumei]

If I throw 5 darts and each one lands exactly in the upper left corner of the dart board, all touching in a ring, and I was aiming at the bulls-eye, I am very precise, but inaccurate.

Please explain that. Why does that make you precise?

Here's how:

I like cats.
I like food.

Therefore, I must like cat food!

How is this precision, of any kind, false or otherwise? The last sentence is a logic statement. In fact, it looks like a boolean statement, and one that would be evaluated as FALSE.

Let's expand that idea. Is a boolean statement either precise OR accurate? It is either TRUE or FALSE. A single boolean can not be almost TRUE, or very very very close (but not quite) to FALSE.



Gerry
My paintings and sculpture

 

[RodKnowlton]

How does one have false precision in language?

An example would be saying there were 11,674 people at an event when you don't have an actual count and used a rounded average of different observers' estimates.

In your dart board example, you are consistent, not precise.

Consistency is an aspect of precision, but precision always applies to a measurement of some sort. If you were to measure a dart's distance from the bullseye with a ruler, then report it in microns, that would be an example of false precision.

Real precision has to do with the degree of consistently reproducible specificity of measurement. Be more specific that can be consistently reproduced and you are being falsely precise.

- Rod


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[ESquared]

RodKnowlton,

You are right to distinguish between precision and consistency, and I freely admit to conflating the two.

I'll hazard thay the two are related... one can't have precision without consistency.

Thinking more about it, precision really talks about the process as a whole, in its intent, exactness, or distinctiveness.

fumei,

I'm glad you found something to object to (grin).

I was envisioning a dart-throwing machine and imagining what kinds of errors it could make. A section of its design could have been devoted to precise placement of darts with a small margin of error such as in a ring, and operating correctly, while its aiming circuits could still have needed adjustment. Were I this machine, I could be precise in patterned placement and consistency while still lacking accuracy. I admit that at the time I was using the word precise to mean consistent, too.

As for

How is this precision, of any kind, false or otherwise?

I was just making a joke. There wasn't any precision of any kind involved. Did you like my joke?

 

[Thadeus]

Here's my entry:

An adult hagfish can secrete enough slime to turn a large bucket of water into gel in a matter of minutes.

Precise? Accurate?

~Thadeus

 

[ESquared]

Imprecise, but probably accurate insofar as most people would probably agree the bucket in question was large and the amount of time elapsed was "a matter of minutes.