How Close Are You? Let's Calculate Percent Error Together!

What is the formula for percent error?

Calculate the percent error if the density of copper is measured to be 8.99 g/cm³ but the actual density is 9.37 g/cm³.

Which of the following choices is the closest to the calculated percent error?

A. 2.68%

B. 5.04%

C. 0.42%

D. 4.23%

Percent Error Calculation

The percent error for the given measurements of copper's density is found to be approximately 4.05%, which indicates that the closest answer choice is D, 4.23%.

To calculate percent error, we use the formula:

Percent Error = (|Experimental Value - Actual Value| / Actual Value) x 100

In this case, the experimental measurement for the density of copper is 8.99 g/cm³, and the actual density of copper is 9.37 g/cm³.

Plugging in the values, we get:

Percent Error = (|8.99 - 9.37| / 9.37) x 100 = 0.38 / 9.37 x 100 ≈ 4.05%

Therefore, the closest answer choice to the calculated percent error is D, 4.23%.