The acceleration of a falling object due to gravity has been proven to be 9.8 m/s². A scientist drops a cactus four times and measures the acceleration with an accelerometer and gets the following results: 9.79 m/s², 9.81 m/s², 9.80 m/s², and 9.78 m/s². Which of the following accurately describes the measurements?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The measurements are both close to the actual value (accurate) and consistent with each other (precise). Accuracy refers to how close a measurement is to the true value, and precision refers to the reproducibility or consistency of the measurements. In this case, the measured values are all very close to the actual value of 9.8 m/s², indicating accuracy. Additionally, the measurements are clustered closely together, demonstrating precision. Therefore, the measurements are both accurate and precise, making choice A the correct answer. Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because the measurements exhibit both accuracy and precision, as they are close to the true value and also consistent with each other.