reduce precision

USAGE SUMMARY

"reduce precision" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it when describing something that has become less exact or specific. For example: "The data underwent further analysis and a certain degree of precision was reduced as a result."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

11 human-written examples

What this means for array CGH is that such losses could obscure copy number discrimination or reduce precision in breakpoint determination.

Plosone

This will reduce precision, but will also reduce bias.

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry

However, equal weighting of the importance of each factor could reduce precision and potentially misclassify some patients' prognosis.

British Journal of Cancer

The use of different periodontal probes at baseline and follow-up can reduce precision of periodontal measures.

Diabetes Care

Such nondifferential measurement error would reduce precision and would tend to bias our findings toward no effect.

Environmental Health Perspectives

This self-selection, if nondifferential by exposure, should not bias estimated HRs, although it might reduce precision.

Environmental Health Perspectives

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

49 human-written examples

A possible side effect of the proposed implementation is a slightly reduced precision.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

Our decision to use a proxy for non-sequenced markers led to reduced precision concerning the position of QTLs linked to these markers.

Rice

Reduced precision arithmetic operations can greatly decrease the area cost and I/O bandwidth of the FPGA-based design, supporting increased parallelism and achieving high performance.

EURASIP Journal on Embedded Systems

The parsimony was determined by using precision-validity trade-off such that any variable that reduces the bias (or increases validity) more than it increases the variance (or reduces precision) is included in the final model (Greenland et al. 2016).

Injury Epidemiology

Candidate terms were only included if they increased f-score on the combined training and development set (some false negative terms are highly ambiguous and their inclusion reduced precision more than the increase in recall).

Journal of Cheminformatics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing experimental design or data analysis, use "reduce precision" to clearly indicate that steps are being taken which may result in less exact measurements or estimations. For example: "Using a larger bin size will reduce precision but improve processing speed."

Common error

While related, precision and accuracy are distinct. "Reduce precision" means making something less finely defined or exact. "Reduce accuracy" means making something less truthful or correct. Avoid using them interchangeably, as doing so may alter the meaning of your statement.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "reduce precision" functions as a verb phrase, typically used to describe the action of making something less exact or detailed. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's a standard expression. For example, "This will reduce precision, but will also reduce bias."

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

100%

Less common in

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "reduce precision" is a grammatically correct and commonly used term, particularly within scientific and technical contexts. As Ludwig AI confirms, this phrase indicates a deliberate or unintentional lessening of exactness or detail. While its usage is straightforward, it's important to distinguish between "reduce precision" and ""reduce accuracy"", as they refer to different concepts. Employ "reduce precision" when discussing a compromise where fine detail is sacrificed, often for gains in other areas, such as computational efficiency. This phrase most often appears in science sources and less often in more casual communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

decrease accuracy

Focuses on making something less accurate, which directly relates to a reduction in precision.

lower exactness

Highlights the lessening of exactness, closely mirroring the meaning of reducing precision.

lessen fineness

Emphasizes the reduction of detail or discrimination, akin to making something less precise.

degrade definition

Indicates a decline in the clarity or sharpness of something, which can lead to reduced precision.

dilute specificity

Refers to weakening the specific nature of something, making it less precise.

impair accuracy

Suggests that accuracy is being damaged or compromised, resulting in a reduction in precision.

weaken certainty

Focuses on a diminishing level of confidence or sureness, which is similar to reducing precision.

blur resolution

Highlights a decrease in the ability to distinguish fine details, leading to reduced precision.

attenuate sharpness

Implies a reduction in the keenness or distinctness, resulting in reduced precision.

coarsen granularity

Suggests that the level of detail is being made rougher or less refined, leading to reduced precision.

FAQs

How can I use "reduce precision" in a sentence?

You can use "reduce precision" to describe actions or factors that make measurements or results less exact. For example: "Increasing the sampling interval will reduce precision" or "Simplifying the model can reduce precision but improve interpretability".

What is a good alternative to "reduce precision"?

Depending on the context, you could use alternatives like "decrease accuracy", "lower exactness", or "degrade definition".

Is there a difference between "reduce precision" and "reduce accuracy"?

Yes, "reduce precision" means to make something less finely defined, while "reduce accuracy" means to make it less correct. It's possible to reduce precision without affecting accuracy, and vice versa. For example, rounding a number reduces precision but may not impact overall accuracy.

In what scenarios might I want to "reduce precision"?

You might want to reduce precision when computational cost is a concern, or when focusing on broad trends rather than specific details. A simplified model, for instance, might "reduce accuracy" but be easier to understand.