mittaarvo

Mittaarvo (measurement value) is the value obtained as a result of measuring a quantity with an instrument or a measurement method. It is the numerical result that is reported, including its unit, and can refer to a single measurement or, in some contexts, to the average of several measurements.

Mittaarvo is not the same as the true value of the quantity. The measured value is influenced by uncertainties and errors arising from the instrument, the measurement procedure, and the environment. In metrology and scientific reporting, the accuracy and precision of a mittaarvo are considered, and it is common to attach an uncertainty estimate that describes the range within which the true value is expected to lie with a given confidence level.

In practice, multiple measurements may be taken to improve reliability. The arithmetic mean of those measurements can be used as the mittaarvo, especially when the procedure prescribes averaging, while other summaries (such as a single representative measurement) might be reported in different contexts. It is customary to report the mittaarvo together with its uncertainty and, when relevant, the measurement method and conditions.

Related concepts include measurement uncertainty, systematic and random errors, calibration, and traceability to standards. The term mittaarvo is often encountered in Finnish technical and scientific literature as the direct result of a measurement, distinguished from the true value and from derived statistics such as averages that summarize multiple measurements.