Question

Which of the following statement(s) is/are TRUE for the systematic errors?

• A. These can be corrected by applying a suitable mathematical model
• B. The least squares adjustment automatically removes unmodelled systematic errors
• C. These must be removed while or before applying the least squares adjustment
• D. Removal of gross errors automatically removes systematic errors

Hint:

Random errors \(⇒\) treat with LS; Systematic errors \(⇒\) model/calibrate/remove; Gross errors \(⇒\) detect and discard. LS cannot fix what the model does not represent.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

(A) True. Systematic errors are repeatable biases and can be modelled (e.g., temperature/scale corrections) and corrected through appropriate functional models or calibration.
(B) False. Least squares minimizes random errors given the model; it does not eliminate biases that are not modelled—they propagate into the estimates.
(C) True. Good practice is to detect/model/remove systematic effects before or during adjustment; otherwise they bias the results.
(D) False. Gross (blunder) removal does not imply removal of persistent systematic biases; they are different error classes.