Systematic errors persist despite averaging

Steps:

• Recall systematic errors cause consistent bias in all measurements, unlike random errors.
• Evaluate A: Faulty instruments produce systematic bias, so correct.
• Evaluate B: They shift all data by the same amount, so correct.
• Evaluate C: Averaging reduces random errors but not systematic ones, so incorrect.
• Evaluate D: Zero error offsets readings consistently, so correct.

Why C is correct:

• Systematic errors are non-random biases that affect every measurement equally and cannot be eliminated by averaging, per error analysis principles.

Why the others are wrong:

• A: Incorrect instruments introduce a consistent bias to all readings.
• B: Systematic errors add the same offset to every measurement.
• D: Zero error systematically misreads the true zero point.

Final answer: C