Which of the following is a characteristic of systematic errors?

Systematic errors are characteristics that tend to affect measurements consistently in a predictable manner. These errors often result from flaws in measurement instruments, calibration errors, or biases in measurement techniques. When a systematic error is present, it will influence measurements in a uniform way, leading to consistent discrepancies between the measured value and the true value.

Since these errors have the same effect on multiple measurements, they can lead to a systematic bias in data analysis and ultimately affect the reliability of conclusions drawn from those measurements. For example, if a scale is incorrectly calibrated to always read 5 grams heavier, each measurement taken with that scale will be impacted by this systematic error, leading to consistent overestimations.

In contrast, other options describe aspects that do not align with the nature of systematic errors, such as randomness, triviality, or being fully avoidable, which can mislead understanding the nature and implications of systematic errors in geodetic engineering and measurements.