Choose the more precise measurement from the pair 54.1 cm and 54.16 cm. Justify your answer.

Answer 1

At first you might say 4 digits are more precise than 3.

But that seems to confuse precision with accuracy. Consider shooting arrows at a bulls eye in a target. Precision means a tight shot group, all hits close together. Accuracy refers to closeness to the bull's eye, not closeness of each arrow to each other.

4 decimal places is more accurate, than 3. But "precision" is something different, that doesn't get captured in comparing 4 or 3 digits. They both are close together, so you could say they are precise, have precision, but you don't single one out as more precise than the other.

Maybe if you had several shots in a tight shot group, all 5.10 from the bull's eye, and one lone shot at 5.16 from the bull's eye, you'd say the 5.10 was more precise as well as more accurate (closer to the bull's eye)

Answer 2

54.16

the more decimals the better