Question

A student is finding the percent error for an estimated length of 22 inches with an actual length of 25 inches. Which of the following shows the student’s mistake? 25 in.−22 in. 325=== 3 in.0.12 0.12% Multiple choice question. cross out

A) The student should have divided 3 by 22. cross out
B) The student did not find the correct quotient of 3 ÷ 25. cross out
C) The student forgot to write the amount of error as a percent. cross out
D) The student subtracted the estimated length from the actual length incorrectly.

Answer 1

The student's error was in finding the quotient of 3 ÷ 25 when calculating the percent error for an estimated length of 22 inches against an actual length of 25 inches. The correct calculation for percent error should yield a result of 12%.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is trying to calculate the percent error for an estimated length of 22 inches when the actual length is 25 inches. To find the percent error, one must subtract the estimated value from the actual value, divide by the actual value, and then multiply by 100 to convert it to a percentage. The formula for percent error is: ((Actual - Estimated) / Actual) × 100.

Using this formula, the student should compute the percent error as follows: ((25 in. − 22 in.) / 25 in.) × 100, which yields a percent error of (3 in./ 25 in.) × 100 = 0.12 × 100 = 12%. The mistake the student made was B) The student did not find the correct quotient of 3 ÷ 25. The student might have mistakenly used 325 instead of the correct operation of division (3 ÷ 25).