Question

Sam predicted that he would sell 15 mugs, but he actually sold 20 mugs. Which expression would find the percent error? Use the table below to help answer the question.

Percent Error

Item
Approximate value
Exact value
Error
Absolute error
Ratio
Percent error
Mugs
15
20
–5
5


StartFraction 5 over 20 EndFraction (100)
StartFraction 5 over 15 EndFraction
StartFraction 5 over 20 EndFraction
StartFraction 5 over 15 EndFraction (100)

Answer 1

Thus, the expression to find the percent error is:

(5 / 15) * 100

Explanation:

The percent error can be calculated using the formula:

Percent Error = [(Actual Value - Predicted Value) / Predicted Value] * 100

In this case, the predicted value is 15 mugs and the actual value is 20 mugs. Plugging in these values into the formula, we get:

Percent Error = [(20 - 15) / 15] * 100

Simplifying the expression, we have:

Percent Error = (5 / 15) * 100