Question

Explain the meaning of % error and its importance in experimental work

Answer 1

While performing our experiments, our results may not be exactly equal to what is expected, i.e our calculated values may differ from the theoretical values of the experiment. In such case, it is advisable to calculate the percentage error to know the extent of deviation from the theoretical results. For example, if our calculated value is a units, and the theoretical value is b units, then percentage error will be given as :

%error= (a-b)/b * 100

It is important to know the % error in our experiments to know the accuracy of our results. If percentage error is 0%,then it clearly means that our results are 100% accurate.