Do students think that objects have a true value?

The idea of a true value is central to the definitions of point and set paradigms, which is a model for thinking about how students view measurements and uncertainty. Several studies have investigated how students' responses to questions about measurement and uncertainty reflect point- and set-like thinking, but none have asked whether a true value exists. In this work, we focus on the idea of a deterministic true value and whether students (and expert physicists) think it exists. We asked over 700 participants from lower- and upper-division physics courses a survey question that directly asks whether objects have a true, definite position. Results show differences between students at the lower level and upper level in their answer choice, and their reasoning. These findings give more context into students' thinking about measurements and uncertainty, allowing us to make better decisions when developing new instructional materials.