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LabCalc
How far off your measurement is from the accepted value, as a percentage.
Absolute error (|experimental − theoretical|) tells you how far off you are in the same units; percentage error normalizes this by the theoretical value, making it possible to compare accuracy across different scales. Being off by 1 gram matters more when measuring 10 grams than 10 kilograms.
Percentage error is the standard way to report measurement accuracy in science classes and research labs. Values under 5% are generally considered good for student experiments; professional instruments aim for well under 1%. Systematic errors (consistently high or low) are more concerning than random scatter.
Percentage error (%)
4.082
% error = |exp − theo| / |theo| × 100
What you entered
Absolute error = |experimental − theoretical|
|10.2 − 9.8|= 0.4Percentage error = |error| / |theoretical| × 100
0.4 / 9.8 × 100= 4.0816%Result
Percentage error (%): 4.082
The measurement of 10.2 vs. the accepted value of 9.8 has a percentage error of 4.08%.