[ntp:questions] Fwd: Using ntpdate -b SERVER shortly after SERVER boots

David J Taylor david-taylor at blueyonder.co.not-this-bit.nor-this-part.uk
Tue Feb 13 13:27:15 UTC 2007


Uwe Klein wrote:
> Richard B. gilbert wrote:
[]
>> That's an interesting article but it misuses the word "precision".
>> Precision is a property of your clock and can be thought of as the
>> smallest possible difference in time that the clock can measure.
>
> isn't that "resolution" ?
> iananes ( i am not a native english speaker ;-)
>>
>> A clock can have a precision of 1 microsecond and still be five
>> minutes slow!
>>
>
> uwe

Uwe,

I suspect these terms mean what you choose them to mean.  Here is what 
Google has to offer:

  http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4SUNA_en___GB202&q=define%3a+precision

(includes both "number of digits" and "degree of refinement")

  http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4SUNA_en___GB202&q=define%3A+resolution&btnG=Search

(includes "measure of accuracy or dynamic range of an A/D or D/A 
converter" and "smallest quantity that can be measured").

>From this, I would suggest:

precision - degree of correctness

resolution - accuracy of measurement

Perhaps NTP has its own definitions?

Cheers,
David 





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