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probable error

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noun Statistics.
  1. a quantity formerly used as a measure of variability: equal to 0.6745 times the standard deviation. A normally distributed population has half of its elements within one probable error of the mean.
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Origin of probable error

First recorded in 1805–15
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
probable error in Science

probable error

[prŏb′ə-bəl]
  1. The amount by which the arithmetic mean of a sample is expected to vary because of chance alone.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.