In
medical testing, and more generally in
binary classification, a
false positive is an error in
data reporting in which a test result improperly indicates presence of a condition, such as a disease (the result is
positive), when in reality it is not, while a
false negative is an error in which a test result improperly indicates no presence of a condition (the result is
negative), when in reality it is present. These are the two kinds of errors in a binary test (and are contrasted with a correct result, either a or a
.) They are also known in medicine as a
false positive (respectively
negative)
diagnosis, and in
statistical classification as a
false positive (respectively
negative)
error.