07-12-2020, 09:16 PM
Bill in NC wrote:
Consumer grade medical devices are not known for their precision.
Case-in-point all those $20 pulse-oximeters that have become popular recently...they're around +/-6% accurate...medical-grade versions start around ten times that, IIRC.
I think you meant "not known for their accuracy".
As Carnos pointed out, Accuracy denotes closeness to the truth...
In the case of digital measurements, precision denotes how finely you can measure. Consumer digital thermometers mostly have the same precision: xx.x degrees F (3 significant figures). Their accuracy depends on how well they were calibrated at the factory that made them.
Infrared thermometers all have lousy accuracy in my experience.