General > Discussion
crouching down
Destructavator:
--- Quote from: Duke on November 04, 2010, 10:26:51 pm ---Thanks Lew :)
I understand that accuracy expresses how well the weapon is handled, while precision expresses how well the weapon itself can perform, right ?
Is that difference in the meaning of the two words restricted to weapon use ?
--- End quote ---
No, the two words have other meanings in different contexts.
In scientific terms (this is how I learned it from a college professor when I was in a college science class, so what I'm about to give you is a "textbook" science comparison of the two terms, and what would be an "official" or "proper" pair of definitions) it can be explained like this:
Suppose you have a dartboard hanging on a wall, and you throw darts at it, aiming for the bulls-eye center target.
- If the darts tend to hit the center target you're aiming for, that would be accurate, higher accuracy meaning hitting closer to the exact "dead-center" of the target.
- If a number of darts hit spots that are very close to each other, but not necessarily near the target, that would be precise.
It is possible to have a lot of one but not the other, as well as having a lot of both, or not much of either - any combination is possible. An example of being very precise with the darts but not accurate would be if a lot of darts hit a spot on a side wall very close to each other, but still very far from the intended target.
This comparison between the two terms also applies to measurements in scientific experiments. (For example, mixing chemicals and measuring how much of a resulting substance is in a test tube afterward, then repeating the experiment and comparing results from each run of the experiment.)
For the record - if this makes you feel any better - This comparison of terms shows up on college exams, some American students over here have trouble themselves remembering the difference between the two, and in some cases cannot get it right.
Outside of the scientific world, the meanings can vary, I guess.
Edit: In Re-reading Lew Yard's explanation, I'd say he has it right, IMO, just another way of explaining the same thing.
mor2:
yes, still the problem is figuring out what makes you precise and how you factor it in the formula used for shooting.
the queston was how much crouching helps when throwing a single dart, considering that dart is flying at 900m/s and your release/compensation mechanism is a little more precise and even if you look at stance in terms of center mass, for 60gr dart at that spead it doesnt really matter.
Destructavator:
--- Quote from: mor2 on November 05, 2010, 11:13:40 am ---yes, still the problem is figuring out what makes you precise and how you factor it in the formula used for shooting.
the queston was how much crouching helps when throwing a single dart, considering that dart is flying at 900m/s and your release/compensation mechanism is a little more precise and even if you look at stance in terms of center mass, for 60gr dart at that spead it doesnt really matter.
--- End quote ---
From what I've read in this thread, it does indeed seem the current system is a bit flawed and could use some work.
I would imagine that the way it should work (but right now doesn't, from what I've gathered) would be like this:
- Crouching should improve accuracy, so that even a single snap shot has a better chance to hit.
- If the attack is made up of multiple shots that are simultaneous (such as a shotgun-like blast), the precision or spread of the shots should be unchanged.
- If the attack is multiple shots one after the other (such as an automatic rifle) then the both the accuracy and precision should improve.
Duke:
Thx Dave :)
What makes this case a bit special is that in the german language there is no distinct word for accuracy. Ie. accuray shares half a dozen translations with precision. We would express the two concepts as
- precision of the gun
- precision of the shot/shooting/soldier/hit
--- Quote from: Destructavator on November 05, 2010, 05:12:06 am ---For the record - if this makes you feel any better - This comparison of terms shows up on college exams, some American students over here have trouble themselves remembering the difference between the two, and in some cases cannot get it right.
--- End quote ---
I also think it's often both interesting and fun to pick two similar terms and ask a native speaker for the *rules* when to use which.
2 years ago we spent half an evening with two canadian friends discussing the difference between 'shadow' and 'shade' ;)
Destructavator:
--- Quote from: Duke on November 05, 2010, 09:56:08 pm ---I also think it's often both interesting and fun to pick two similar terms and ask a native speaker for the *rules* when to use which.
2 years ago we spent half an evening with two canadian friends discussing the difference between 'shadow' and 'shade' ;)
--- End quote ---
Probably like "no" and "not" - One thing that a lot of people who don't know English as their first language often mess up, something that really gives away the fact that they are from another country, is confusing "no" and "not" by using the wrong one when they should use the other. The two words are so close that even I (who knows (American) English as a first language) could not explain a list of hard, set rules that would always tell someone when to use one and when to use the other. It's one of those things that someone gets a "feel" for after hearing and speaking a language after a while, and has to gradually pick up.
The same goes for the "cannot" that I used in my previous post. "Cannot" is a compound word that means exactly the same thing as the two words "can not" which can also be contracted to "can't", although there aren't any solid rules as to which of those three to use.
Aaaaannnyyyyways, to get back on topic:
I still think the current system needs to be fixed, in the code, possibly as I described it in my three points I said earlier.
P.S. - Just one last thing about language, something kinda funny: You might be surprised at how the phrase "Let's go smoke a fag" in the UK is a harmless, casual thing to say when taking a break from working on something, but if spoken here in the United States where I am, it has a totally different, nasty meaning, one that can make people call the police to come arrest you if they think you're really serious. (I'm not kidding, it can really get you into trouble here!)
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