From: http://hscguide.net/forum/index.php?topic=14.

0
ALSO CHECK THIS OUT:
http://course1.winona.edu/lgray/el626/MandEtext3.html
Accuracy: Proximity something is to the accepted value:
- In experiments and second-hand data, accuracy of a result can refer to the
percentage difference between the experimental result and the accepted value.
- In measuring equipment, accuracy deals with the number of significant
figures a piece of equipment provides results for. So for example, a
thermometer can give results to 2 significant figures and zero decimal places
whereas a datalogger connected to a temperature probe can give results up to 6
significant figures and 3-4 decimal places.
- Sometimes outliers are produced in your results. It is often good to not
include them when taking the average of your results to prevent accuracy
errors. Averaging results does however add to the accuracy of them. To improve
accuracy even further, you could plot points in a graph and draw a line of best
fit. Note that the line of best fit does not necessarily have to go through the
origin.
Reliability: How trustworthy and dependable your results are:
- A reliable experiment would have their results repeated 10 times or more and
would obtain consistent results. Another word to describe the results is
concordant, particularly if they differ by <0.3%.
- If you dont repeat your experiment or perform trials, then your experiment is
considered not reliable. You can however compare your results with your
classmates if they repeated the same experiment under the same conditions.
Normally experiments wont be repeated due to time constraints so this is a
good way of making an experiment reliable.
- For second-hand data, reliability refers to how trustworthy a source of
information is. We can make an assessment of the reliability of a source
through:
Finding out its date of publication to ensure that the information is recent and
not out-dated.
Check the publisher or author for credibility. Is it some high school child or a
scientist at Nasa.
Cross referencing with accepted sources of data or several more sources to
check for consistency.
- An unreliable experiment would most probably be inaccurate unless for some
reason you obtained values both slightly higher and lower than the accepted
value.
Validity: Results or conclusions that are derived correctly from premises already
accepted and are supported by actual fact. In Laymans terms, your measuring
what was intended.
- A valid experiment fairly tests the hypothesis.

- All variables are kept constant or controlled apart from the

investigated/independant variable.
- All parallax, systematic errors such as not calibrated equipment (e.g. not
zeroing an electronic balance) have been eliminated and random errors are
reduced.
- For an experiment to be valid, its results must be reliable. It is possible for an
invalid experiment to be valid, for example finding out that value from gravity is
10.34 instead of approximately 9.8.
- For second-hand data, you will need to draw upon the accuracy and reliability
of the data to conclude it is valid.
For some more information on some of these areas, visit the below link:
http://webs.mn.catholic.edu.au/physics/emery/measurement.htm