Percent error calculator with accurate results
Use this smart tool to easily compute the percent error between the true and observed values in a measurement.
Percent error calculator
Things to know about our percent error calculating tool
A percent error is a relative error denoted in terms per 100 and shows the accuracy of the experiment. To determine whether you need to use the percent error equation, which is the absolute error divided by the exact value × 100.
Percent error formula
When calculating percent error, you need to use this formula:
Percentage error = (Observed value - True value) / True value × 100% (in true value)
How to use the percent error calculator?
You can discover the benefits of our percentage error calculator in three easy steps:
Step one: insert the estimated and actual value in the input tabs.
Step two: Hit the "Calculate" button to determine the relative error.
Step three: Tap on the "Reset" button if your want to calculate the relative error again.
And voila! You have precise results in under one minute!
A practical example of percent error calculation
Example 1: You need to measure the boiling point of water. The result you've determined during the experiment is 101.5°C. This is your estimated or observed value. In contrast, its actual boiling point is 100°C, which is the actual or true value.
To find the percent error between the observed and true value, use this formula:
Percentage error = [(Estimated value - Actual value) / Actual value] × 100
= [(101.5 - 100/100] × 100
= 1.5/100 × 100
= 1.5%
Thus, the relative error is 1.5%.
Example 2: A scientist measures the density of an object, and it turns out to be 3600 g/dm3. This is the estimated measured value. The true value of the measurement is 4600 g/dm3.
We use the same formula to determine the % error:
Percent error = [(Estimated value - Actual value) / Actual value] × 100
= [(3600 g/dm3 - 4600 g/dm3)/4600 g/dm3 × 100
= [-1000 g/dm3 / 4600 g/dm3] × 100
= 21.74%.
Frequently Asked Questions
To determine the relative error between two readings of the same measurements, you can use the following formula:
Percentage error = [(Estimated value - Actual value) / Actual value] × 100
The estimated value is the observed reading of the measuring, while the actual value is the true theoretical value of the same measuring.
If you want to save time and get the most accurate results, we recommend using a percent error calculator.
In simple words, a percentage error is the difference between the estimated and actual reading of the measurement in comparison to its true value. It is helpful for the determination of the value of a particular quantity.
Say, you want to estimate the gravitational acceleration. To do this, you need to calculate the time of free fall from a set height. Most likely, your estimated acceleration will differ from the actual results by 9.80665 m/s². Use this formula to find out what is the percent error:
Percent error = [(Observed value - True value) / True value] × 100
If you want to conduct a percent error calculation, you need to determine what a percent error is and how it differs from other similar terms. So, check out the definitions of the most common error types.
Percent or relative error is the difference between the estimated measured value and the actual theoretical value. You can use our tool to calculate it or try the error propagation calculator.
The standard error is the value determined for a set of data. It depicts the accuracy of a sample that represents the whole population. You can determine this error with our calculator as well.
The margin of error represents the random sampling errors in the survey results. It is closely related to the confidence interval, which you can easily determine with our help.
A percentage error is helpful in measuring the results of an experiment. It is commonly used to find out the extent of errors in your measurement. The smaller the percent errors, the closer your results are to the true value.
To determine this value, you can use the percent error formulas mentioned above or take advantage of our calculator to save time and effort. Check out our smart tool for effortless calculations and a seamless experience.