False precision

Often false precision is abused to produce an unwarranted confidence in the claim: "our mouthwash is twice as good as our competitor's".Even outside these disciplines, there is a tendency to assume that all the non-zero digits of a number are meaningful; thus, providing excessive figures may lead the viewer to expect better precision than exists.However, in contrast, it is good practice to retain more significant figures than this in the intermediate stages of a calculation, in order to avoid accumulated rounding errors.False precision commonly arises when high-precision and low-precision data are combined, when using an electronic calculator, and in conversion of units.Measures that rely on statistical sampling, such as IQ tests, are often reported with false precision.
Orders of approximationScale analysisBig O notationCurve fittingSignificant figuresApproximationGeneralization errorTaylor polynomialScientific modellingprecisionaccuracyprecision biasMadsen Piriescienceengineeringmargin of errorrounding errorselectronic calculatorconversion of unitsstatistical samplingIQ testsArithmetic underflowLimit of detectionPropagation of uncertaintyRound-off errorRoundingfallaciesFormalpropositional logicAffirming a disjunctAffirming the consequentDenying the antecedentArgument from fallacyMasked manMathematical fallacyquantificational logicExistentialIllicit conversionProof by exampleQuantifier shiftSyllogistic fallacyAffirmative conclusion from a negative premiseNegative conclusion from affirmative premisesExclusive premisesNecessityFour termsIllicit majorIllicit minorUndistributed middleInformalEquivocationFalse equivalenceFalse attributionQuoting out of contextLoki's WagerNo true ScotsmanReificationCircular reasoningBegging the questionLoaded languageLeading questionCompound questionLoaded questionComplex questionCorrelative-basedFalse dilemmaPerfect solutionDenying the correlativeSuppressed correlativeIllicit transferenceCompositionDivisionEcologicalSecundum quidAccidentConverse accidentFaulty generalizationAnecdotal evidenceSampling biasCherry pickingMcNamaraBase rateConjunctionDouble countingFalse analogySlothful inductionOverwhelming exceptionAmbiguityAccentMoving the goalpostsSlippery slopeSorites paradoxSyntactic ambiguityQuestionable causeAnimisticFurtiveCum hocPost hocGambler'sInverseRegressionSingle causeTexas sharpshooterLaw/LegalityProof by assertionConsequencesArgumentum ad baculumWishful thinkingEmotionChildrenFlatteryNoveltyRidiculeIn-group favoritismInvented hereNot invented hereIsland mentalityLoyaltyParade of horriblesStirring symbolsWisdom of repugnanceGenetic fallacyAd hominemAppeal to motiveAssociationReductio ad HitlerumGodwin's lawReductio ad StalinumBulverismPoisoning the wellTu quoqueWhataboutismAuthorityAccomplishmentIpse dixitPovertyWealthEtymologyNatureTraditionChronological snobberyfallacies of relevanceArgumentsAd nauseamSealioningArgument from anecdoteArgument from silenceArgument to moderationArgumentum ad populumClichéThe Four Great ErrorsI'm entitled to my opinionIgnoratio elenchiInvincible ignoranceMoralisticNaturalisticMotte-and-bailey fallacyPsychologist's fallacyRationalizationRed herringTwo wrongs make a rightSpecial pleadingStraw man