Percent Error

November 19, 2013
3.7 Percent Error
Greatest possible error -
Ex: You read the bathroom scale at 122 lbs. What is your
greatest possible error?
Ex: When a garden plot was measured, the dimensions were
156 in χ 84 in. Use the greatest possible error to find the
minimum and maximum possible areas.
Guided Practice
1. You measure a picture for the yearbook and record its
height as 9 cm. What is your greatest possible error?
2. You measure a wall of your room as 8 ft high and 12 ft
wide. Find the minimum and maximum possible areas
of the wall?
Homework: Pages 171 # 1-23 odd
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November 19, 2013
Percent error =
greatest possible error
measurement
Ex: Suppose you measure a book from the library and record that
its width is 17.6 cm. Find the percent of error in your
measurement.
Ex: A small jewelry box measures 7.4 cm by 12.2 cm by 4.2 cm.
Find the percent error in calculating its volume.
Guided Practice
3. You measure the length of a table as 168 inches. Find the
percent error in this measurement.
4. Suppose you measure your math book and recorded the
dimensions as 1 in. χ 9 in. χ 10 in. Find the percent error
in calculating its volume.
Homework:
Pages 171 - 173 #25-37 odd, 43-47 odd.
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