If a measurement system has a resolution of 0.01 units, what does that indicate?

• A. It can detect changes as small as 0.01 units.
• B. It has an accuracy of 0.01 units.
• C. It has a precision of 0.01 units.
• D. It can only measure integer values.

Answer: (A)

Resolution is the smallest change in the measured quantity that the system can detect. If the measurement system has 0.01 units resolution, it can reveal changes as small as one-hundredth of a unit. In practice, readings will move in steps of 0.01 (for example, 1.00, 1.01, 1.02, etc.), so tiny changes smaller than that may not be singled out.

This doesn't say how close the reading is to the true value (that’s accuracy), nor how consistently readings cluster when you repeat measurements (that’s precision). It also doesn’t mean you’re limited to integers; you can still measure non-integer values, but the display or output increments in 0.01-unit steps.