A thermometer reads a child's temperature at 98.1 degrees F. The Child's actual temperature is 97.8 degrees F. What is the percent error for the thermometer?

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asked Feb 5, 2024 6.0k views

1 Answer

Reuven Lax · Answer 1 · 2024-02-11T20:42:58+0000

The percent error for the thermometer when measuring a child's temperature of 97.8 degrees F as 98.1 degrees F is approximately 0.31%.

To calculate the percent error of the thermometer in measuring a child's temperature, we will use the formula:

Percent Error = (|Actual Value - Measured Value| / Actual Value) × 100%

In this case, the actual temperature of the child is 97.8 degrees F, while the measured temperature is 98.1 degrees F.

Plugging in the values we get:

Percent Error = (|97.8 - 98.1| / 97.8) × 100%

Percent Error = (0.3 / 97.8) × 100%

Percent Error ≈ 0.307 × 100%

Percent Error ≈ 0.31%

The thermometer's percent error is approximately 0.31%.