What term is used for a measurement of how close a result is to the true value?

Accuracy refers to how close a measured value is to the actual or true value of the quantity being measured. In scientific experiments and data collection, the accuracy of results is critical because it determines how correctly the experiment reflects the real-world situation. When measurements are accurate, it indicates that the result closely aligns with the expected outcome or the accepted standard.

Precision, while often confused with accuracy, refers to the consistency of repeated measurements, meaning how close the results are to each other rather than how close they are to the true value. Reliability refers to the repeatability of results over time, while validity assesses whether the research or measurement truly reflects what it aims to measure. Thus, in the context of measuring how close a result is to the true value, the correct term is indeed accuracy.