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systematic error
noun
: an error that is not determined by chance but is introduced by an inaccuracy (as of observation or measurement) inherent in the system
Examples of systematic error in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Its platform automatically stress-tests AI models, analyzing how predictions are made, and finding patterns that lead to systematic errors: think blindspots and hallucinations.
—Alex Christian, WIRED, 14 Oct. 2024
But over the past week, results from NASA’s new JWST orbiting observatory suggest the problem may be more mundane: some systematic error in the strategies used to measure the distance to nearby galaxies.
—Bydaniel Clery, science.org, 13 Aug. 2024
Another source of systematic error is experimenter bias.
—Luke Caldwell, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2024
Cognitive biases are systematic errors in our thinking that influence our judgment, often leading us to make irrational choices.
—Gleb Tsipursky, Fortune, 8 May 2023
The machine that measures A1C levels may also have a systematic error in measuring A1C levels with a different type of hemoglobin.
—Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 26 Jan. 2023
If so, animal studies of painkillers or drugs with painful side effects could contain systematic errors, simply because of the makeup of a laboratory’s staff.
—Sonia Shah, The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2023
The bump credibility took another hit when it was pointed out that it could be explained away by a simple (although completely hypothetical) systematic error -- a miscalibration of the jet energies.
—Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 30 May 2011
Even ideas in prestigious journals can sometimes be explained away as systematic error, but that’s the way science works.
—Eric Betz, Discover Magazine, 10 Mar. 2020
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Word History
First Known Use
1826, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near systematic error
Cite this Entry
“Systematic error.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/systematic%20error. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.
More from Merriam-Webster on systematic error
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about systematic error
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