XPost: sci.electronics.equipment   
   From: CFKinsey@military.org.jp   
      
   On Sat, 20 Jun 2020 19:18:24 +0100, Jeroen Belleman    
   wrote:   
      
   > On 2020-06-20 17:58, Commander Kinsey wrote:   
   > [...]   
   >>   
   >> Showing those extra two numbers is pointless if they're wrong.  All   
   >> that matters is how many volts difference between the actual voltage   
   >> and what is shown.   
   >   
   > Engineers distinguish between accuracy, a measure of how close   
   > a observed value is to the true value, and resolution, which   
   > is a measure of the device's ability to resolve small changes.   
   > Either specification is useful in its own right, and professional   
   > instrumentation will always have both specs. So even if the   
   > last digit or two of a measuring device are not accurate, they   
   > may still be useful.   
      
   I can see that, although when I've had an instrument with more digits than its   
   accuracy, it usually has a fluctuation of its own (perhaps through   
   interference from inadequate shielding), so I can't actually tell if the real   
   value has changed.   
      
   > You may want to check audio ADCs and DACs for example, which   
   > have atrocious accuracy, but excellent resolution. An example   
   > of the opposite might be a voltage reference, which has excellent   
   > accuracy, but no resolution at all.   
   >   
   > Of course in general, there is a tendency of accurate instruments   
   > to have a better resolution too.   
      
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