ABSTRACT
As an example of spurious accuracy consider an experiment where seven leaves that were measured to the nearest centimeter had values of 3, 5, 7, 9, 3, 4 and 1 cm. The mean length was calculated and a statement made: ‘The mean length of the seven leaves was 4.571428571429 cm.’ This statement implies a very high degree of accuracy, and is not justified. The appropriate statement would be: ‘The mean length of the seven leaves was 4.6 cm.’
