1. What is Percent Relative Error?

Percent Relative Error is a measure of how accurate a measurement is compared to a true or accepted value. It expresses the error as a percentage of the true value, making it easier to compare errors across different scales.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the Percent Relative Error formula:

Where:

• Experimental Value — The measured or calculated value
• True Value — The accepted or reference value

Explanation: The absolute value ensures the error is always positive, and multiplying by 100 converts it to a percentage.

3. Importance of Percent Relative Error

Details: Percent Relative Error is widely used in scientific experiments, quality control, and engineering to assess the accuracy of measurements and calculations.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both experimental and true values. The true value cannot be zero (division by zero is undefined). The result shows the error as a percentage.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's a good percent relative error?
A: This depends on the field. In many scientific applications, <5% is considered acceptable, but some fields require <1%.

Q2: How is this different from percent error?
A: They're essentially the same. Some sources may use "percent error" to mean absolute error, but "percent relative error" is always relative to the true value.

Q3: Can the error be more than 100%?
A: Yes, if the experimental value is more than twice the true value (or negative for values on the same side of zero).

Q4: When should I use this instead of absolute error?
A: Use percent relative error when you need to compare errors across different scales or magnitudes.

Q5: What if my true value is zero?
A: Percent relative error is undefined when the true value is zero. Consider using absolute error in such cases.