Term: true value, \(\tau\) https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.T06527 Definition: The value that characterizes a quantity perfectly in the conditions that exist when that quantity is considered. It is an ideal value which could be arrived at only if all causes of measurement error were eliminated, and the entire population was sampled. Related Terms: 1) measurement result (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.M03796). Source: PAC, 1994, 66, 595. 'Nomenclature for the presentation of results of chemical analysis (IUPAC Recommendations 1994)' on page 598 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199466030595) Citation: 'true value, \(\tau\)' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.T06527 License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms. Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.