Results are repeatable if the same person using the same method gets similar results, and reproducible if other people, or other methods, get similar results too. Repeating each measurement at least three times lets you check this.
The range of repeats shows how spread out they are. A narrow range means you can trust the mean more. If one value is anomalous, leave it out and recalculate. Reporting the mean together with its range tells readers both the best value and how certain it is.
Worked example
Group A's repeats range 2 s; group B's range 9 s. Whose results are more repeatable?
- A smaller range means the repeats are closer together.
- Group A's range is smaller.
Answer:Group A's results are more repeatable.
Key words
- repeatable
- the same person gets similar results
- reproducible
- other people get similar results
- spread
- how far apart values are
- certainty
- how sure we are of a value
Practise this
New questions every time.