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Percentage Error
Compare a measured value against the true value to get the percentage error. A lab and quality-control staple for gauging accuracy.
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Worked example
Error: 4%
How it’s solved
Worked on the example above, step by step — follow along and you can do it on paper next time, no tool required.
- Percent error is how far a measurement lands from the true value, relative to that true value.
- Find the size of the miss |measured − actual|
|48 − 50| = 2 - Divide by the actual value
2 ÷ 50 = 0.04 - Multiply by 100 for a percent
0.04 × 100 = 4%
Learn the method
Inputs
- Actual
50 - Measured
48
Frequently asked
Measured 48 vs actual 50?
A 4% error.
How is it computed?
The absolute difference divided by the actual value, times 100.