This cartoon is a meme created by Amy Finnegan from Duke University that received an honorable mention in the 2019 A-mu-sing Contest. The meme can be used to facilitate class discussions of the difference between an estimate being precise versus being accurate. The dog represents an estimate and the dog bed represents the target (parameter). When the dog is curled up that would indicate high precision and when the dog is spread out that would represent low precision. When the dog is in the bed that would indicate accuracy and when the dog is not in the bed, that would indicate lack of accuracy. (Note: in classes where the language of “reliability” is used instead of “precision,” the meme can be renamed Accuracy vs Reliability and the representations in discussions should then be changed accordingly.)
