Calculate the percentage error between an experimental value and an accepted value.
See the absolute error, formula, and step-by-step solution.
Enter your measured result and the accepted/reference value.
Experimental value = 9.8; accepted value = 10
2%The percentage error is 2%.
Absolute error: |9.8 − 10| = 0.2
Find the absolute difference between the measured and accepted values. Divide it by the absolute accepted value and multiply by 100.
Percentage Error = (|Experimental − Accepted| ÷ |Accepted|) × 100
= (|9.8 − 10| ÷ |10|) × 100
= 2%
Percentage error expresses the size of the absolute difference relative to the accepted value as a percentage.
(|9.8 − 10| ÷ |10|) × 100 = 2%
The accepted value must not be zero because it is the denominator.
Follow these steps to see how the percentage error is calculated.
Percentage error tells you how far an experimental or measured result is from an accepted or reference value, relative to the accepted value. It is commonly used in science experiments, laboratory measurements, engineering, and data analysis to describe the size of a measurement error.
This calculator uses the absolute difference, so the result is never negative. A smaller percentage error generally means the measured value is closer to the accepted value. A result of 0% means both values are equal. Percentage error can exceed 100% when the absolute difference is greater than the absolute accepted value.
Subtract the accepted value from the experimental value, take the absolute value of the difference, divide by the absolute accepted value, and multiply by 100.
Absolute error: |9.8 − 10| = 0.2
Divide and convert: (0.2 ÷ 10) × 100
= 2%Some fields use a signed percentage error to show whether a measurement is high or low. This calculator reports the absolute percentage error.
Percentage error = (|Experimental value − Accepted value| ÷ |Accepted value|) × 100. The absolute value makes the result non-negative.
Absolute error is the magnitude of the difference between the measured and accepted values, expressed in the same units. Percentage error expresses that difference relative to the accepted value, as a percentage.
This calculator uses absolute error, so its percentage error is zero or positive. Signed percentage error is a different measure that can indicate whether the experimental value is above or below the accepted value.
No. This formula divides by the accepted value, so percentage error is undefined when the accepted value is zero.
A 0% error means the experimental value equals the accepted value, so the absolute difference is zero.
Yes. If the absolute difference is larger than the absolute accepted value, the percentage error is greater than 100%.