law of frequency of error

Error \Er"ror\, n. [OF. error, errur, F. erreur, L. error, fr.
   errare to err. See {Err}.]
   1. A wandering; a roving or irregular course. [Obs.]
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            The rest of his journey, his error by sea. --B.
                                                  Jonson.
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   2. A wandering or deviation from the right course or
      standard; irregularity; mistake; inaccuracy; something
      made wrong or left wrong; as, an error in writing or in
      printing; a clerical error.
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   3. A departing or deviation from the truth; falsity; false
      notion; wrong opinion; mistake; misapprehension.
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            His judgment was often in error, though his candor
            remained unimpaired.                  --Bancroft.
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   4. A moral offense; violation of duty; a sin or
      transgression; iniquity; fault. --Ps. xix. 12.
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   5. (Math.) The difference between the approximate result and
      the true result; -- used particularly in the rule of
      double position.
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   6. (Mensuration)
      (a) The difference between an observed value and the true
          value of a quantity.
      (b) The difference between the observed value of a
          quantity and that which is taken or computed to be the
          true value; -- sometimes called {residual error}.
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   7. (Law.) A mistake in the proceedings of a court of record
      in matters of law or of fact.
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   8. (Baseball) A fault of a player of the side in the field
      which results in failure to put out a player on the other
      side, or gives him an unearned base.
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   {Law of error}, or {Law of frequency of error} (Mensuration),
      the law which expresses the relation between the magnitude
      of an error and the frequency with which that error will
      be committed in making a large number of careful
      measurements of a quantity.

   {Probable error}. (Mensuration) See under {Probable}.

   {Writ of error} (Law), an original writ, which lies after
      judgment in an action at law, in a court of record, to
      correct some alleged error in the proceedings, or in the
      judgment of the court. --Bouvier. Burrill.

   Syn: Mistake; fault; blunder; failure; fallacy; delusion;
        hallucination; sin. See {Blunder}.
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