Question

An advertisement for a circular rug says that the rug has a diameter of 6 feet. Find the relative error of this measurement

(multiple choice)
1 . 8.3%
2. 1.1%
3. 2.5%
4. 20.3%

Answer 1

1. 8.3%

Explanation:

Relative error = absolute error/expected measurement

The expected measurement is given as 6 ft.

Now, the absolute error is usually equal to half of a unit of the measure.

This means the absolute error in this case is ½ × 1 = 0.5 ft

Thus, the exact measurement will be;

6 ± 0.5

Thus;

Relative error = 0.5/6

Relative error = 0.083

Expressing it in percentage gives 8.3%