If an experimenter becomes distracted by a text message and pipettes 6 μL of a solution instead of 8 μL, should this error be categorized as systematic or random?

Question

Question 26 options:

systematic

random

Answer 1

The error described in the scenario is best categorized as a systematic error.

A systematic error occurs consistently due to a particular issue, such as a consistent mistake in measuring due to distraction, which would lead to the same type of error (in this case, under-pipetting) every time the experimenter becomes distracted.

In contrast, random errors arise from unpredictable fluctuations in the measurement process, which could vary from one measurement to another.

So, the correct answer is systematic.