To determine the range of possible masses that the scale might show given that it has an error percentage of 10%, we first need to calculate what this percentage is in terms of the actual mass of the bracelet.
Since the actual mass is 30 grams, we want to find out how much is 10% of this mass. To do this, we multiply the actual mass by the error percentage (expressed as a decimal):
10% of 30g = 0.10 * 30g = 3g
With this information, we can calculate the range of possible scale readings. Since the error can make the scale read both higher and lower than the actual mass, we subtract and add this 3g to the bracelet's actual mass to find the minimum and maximum scale readings:
- The lowest possible reading is:
30g - 3g = 27g
- The highest possible reading is:
30g + 3g = 33g
Therefore, the scale might show masses of 27 grams on the low end and 33 grams on the high end.