The ratio 1/133000 in the distance accuracy example represents which type of accuracy?

• A. Relative accuracy
• B. Absolute error
• C. Percentage error
• D. Scale factor

Answer: (A)

That ratio expresses how large the measurement error is in relation to the distance being measured. It is a relative accuracy: the error is one part in 133,000 of the distance, a dimensionless fraction, rather than a fixed amount with units. If you convert it to a percent, it would be about 0.00075%, but as given it’s the plain relative accuracy. This means the absolute error would scale with distance, while this ratio stays the same. The other ideas don’t fit because absolute error would carry units (how many meters, for example), percentage error requires a percent form (the ratio times 100), and a scale factor is a multiplier used to convert or distort distances, not a measure of error.