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Introducing our Percent Error Calculator, a handy tool for swiftly evaluating the accuracy of your measurements.

What is Percent Error?

When estimating a quantity through repeated measurements, such as determining gravitational acceleration, discrepancies between the measured and actual values may occur. Percent error helps quantify this difference, requiring knowledge of both the true value (TV) and the observed value (OV).

Percent Error Formula

Utilize our Percent Error Calculator with the following formula:

Percent Error=(TVTV−OV​)×100%

Where:

  • TV is the true value
  • OV is the observed value

How to Calculate Percent Error: An Example

Let’s illustrate percent error using the speed of sound. Given the true speed at 20°C is 343 m/s and your measurement yields 329 m/s:

  1. Find the absolute error: 343−329=14 m/s343−329=14m/s
  2. Calculate percent error: 14343×100%=4.082%34314​×100%=4.082%

The resulting percent error, or relative error, is 4.082%.

Clarifying Related Terms

Avoid confusion by understanding terms like percent error, standard error, and margin of error:

  • Percent Error (Relative Error): Describes the relative difference between observed and true values using our formula.
  • Standard Error: A statistical measure indicating how accurately a sample represents the entire population. Explore our Standard Error Calculator for more details.
  • Margin of Error: Tied to confidence intervals, it is computed by multiplying the standard error by the z-score for a specific confidence level. Refer to our Confidence Interval Calculator for further insights.