IXL | Percent error: word problems

Colton likes to see how quickly he can finish the crossword puzzle in his local newspaper. After glancing at today's puzzle, Colton predicted he could complete it in 14 minutes. It actually took him 16 minutes to finish the puzzle. What is the percent error for Colton's prediction?

If necessary, round your answer to the nearest tenth of a percent.

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Learn with an example

question

As part of a math lesson on probability, Mr. Keen rolled a standard die 30 times. He predicted the die would land on three 5 times. He actually rolled a three 8 times. What is the percent error for his prediction?

If necessary, round your answer to the nearest tenth of a percent.

key idea

The amount of error in a measurement or estimate is the difference between the correct amount and the incorrect amount. It is always written using a positive number.

The percent error expresses the amount of error as a percentage of the correct amount. Here is a formula for percent error:

percent error

amount of error

correct amount

solution

To find the percent error, start by listing the key information from the problem.

Mr. Keen predicted the die would land on three 5 times.

He actually rolled a three 8 times.

First, find the amount of error. It is the difference between 8 and 5, which is 3.

Now, use the formula to find the percent error.

percent error

amount of error

correct amount

0.375

You can rewrite 0.375 as

37.5%

So, the percent error for Mr. Keen's prediction is

37.5%

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