Which error results from equipment failure?

• A. Systematic error
• B. Personal error
• C. Gross error
• D. Random error

Answer: (C)

When measuring, a big, obvious deviation caused by a fault in the equipment is described as a gross error. This type of error stands out as a large, non-random blunder that isn’t due to normal fluctuations or a consistent bias in the setup. It often comes from instrument failure or a careless use of the apparatus, and is usually corrected by retaking the measurement with functioning equipment or verifying the setup.

In contrast, random errors are unpredictable small fluctuations that scatter measurements around a true value and tend to average out with many trials. Systematic errors are biases that shift all measurements in one direction because of a flaw in the method or calibration. Personal errors arise from the observer’s mistakes or misreading, but not from the instrument failing. So, equipment failure most clearly aligns with a gross error.