Symbols:Arithmetic and Algebra/Precision

Precision

$\pm$

Gives an indication of the precision of an observation.

Let $a$ be a measurement of a physical quantity whose true value is $x$.

Then we say:

$x = a \pm b$

which means that:

Given the observation $a$, it is known that $x$ is between $a - b$ and $a + b$.

The $\LaTeX$ code for \(\pm\) is \pm .

Examples

Arbitrary Example $1$

The value of an observation may be given as:

$x = 6.0 \pm 0.3$

which means: the true value of $x$ is between $5.7$ and $6.3$.

Also see

See:

Symbols:Plus or Minus

for other uses of this symbol.

Sources

• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): plus/minus sign: 2.