Question

Sam counts how many people came to the local political meeting. he counts 72 people, but forgot about the 4 people sitting behind him. the percent error in his calculation is

a. -5.3%
b. 5.6%
c. 50%
d. -2.8%

Answer 1

The percent error in Sam's count of people at a meeting is calculated using the difference between the approximate and exact values, resulting in a 5.3% error, with option a. -5.3% as the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks about the percent error in Sam's count of people at a local political meeting. Sam counted 72 people but forgot to include 4 people behind him, meaning the actual count should be 76.

To calculate the percent error, we use the formula: Percent Error = (|Approximate Value - Exact Value| / Exact Value) × 100%. In this case, the approximate value is 72, and the exact value is 76.

Calculating the percent error:

• |72 - 76| = 4
• Percent Error = (4 / 76) × 100%
• Percent Error = 5.2631...

The percent error in Sam's calculation is 5.26%, which rounded to one decimal place is 5.3%. Therefore, the answer is option a. -5.3%, when we consider that the error made was an underestimation.