Percent Error Calculator: What is it and how can you use it?


What is Percent Error?


Percentage Error Calculator





Percent error calculator measures the overall discrepancy amid an observed & true/accepted value. Once you start measuring the data, the resulting number often varies vividly from the actual value. Errors like this can be experienced given multiple reasons which are often associated with human error. You can use computer-generated error-free results with percent error calculator. However, percentage error can also come from limitations and estimations of a device which is used for measurement. This computation process can be made easy with the use of percentage error calculator. This computation process for percent error calculator includes the use of absolute error. This is the overall difference between the true value and the observed value. The resulting absolute error in the next step is divided by the percentage of error.

Here is a simple equation for the clarification of percentage error with the percent error calculator.
Absolute Error= |Vtrue - Vobserved|
Relative Error= |Vtrue - Vobserved| / Vtrue
Percentage Error= (|Vtrue - Vobserved|/ Vtrue) X 100

Use of Percent Error Calculator

The use of this error calculator helps calculate the estimated percentage error noted between theoretical value and the experimental value measured during the observation of numbers.

The formula for Percent Error Calculator

Percentage Error = (|E-T| / |T|) X 100
Here, E= Experimental Value
T= Theoretical Value
This particular formula is closely similar to the percentage change.

Example:

Suppose you participated in an experiment for the measurement of water's boiling point. The average result comes at 101.5°C. This particular number is the experimental or measured value. However, we have known for years that the boiling point for water is actually 100°C. This is the actual or theoretical value.
Now, how can you calculate the percentage error between the estimated value= 101.5°C and the Actual value= 100°C.
Plugin the numbers into the formula and the result is 1.5 percentage of error.

The margin of Error, Percent Error, & Standard Error

There are several terms closely associated with the calculation of the percentage of error. In order to ensure that you aren't confused about these terms, here is a short definition for all.

Relative Error:

Percent error is precisely the overall difference between the true value and the observed value.

Standard Error:

This is a statistical value which is calculated for the complete data set. It describes the overall accuracy for sample representation of the complete population.

Error Margin:

The error margin is similar to the confidence interval. This statistical data can be calculated using multiplication of standard error accompanied by Z-Score in correspondence to the confidence level.

Key Points to Remember When Calculating Percent Error:

  • The prime purpose of the percent Error Calculator is gauging how close the estimated value is to the true value.
  • Percentage Error, in simple terms, is the narrow difference between theoretical value and the experimental value. This is then divided by theoretical value and then multiplied by a 100 to obtain the error.
  • In some of the fields, the percentage error is mostly expressed in the form of a positive number. While in others, either the negative or positive value is correct. The exact sign may be noted for the determination of whether the recorded values have consistently fallen below or above the expected values.
  • Percentage Error is a form of the calculation method for error. Relative and absolute errors are two of the common calculations apart from percent error. The percentage error is an exclusive part of the analysis for comprehensive error.
  • The best to report the error is to correctly understand whether there is a drop in the sign (negative or positive) during the calculation & reporting of values using the correct number for significant figures.

Calculation Steps for Percent Error Calculator :

  • Subtract one of the values from another. Now, the order isn't of much significance if you plan to drop the signs. But, if you want to keep the negative signs, you need to subtract the theoretical value of the experiment from the acquired experimental value. This particular value is 'Error'.
  • Divide this error by ideal or exact value. This will result in obtaining the decimal number.
  • Now, convert this decimal number to a percentage value by multiplication of the result with 100.
  • Add the percentage symbol in order to report the percentage error in the value originally obtained.