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The document defines absolute error, relative error, and percentage error, explaining their significance in evaluating the accuracy of approximations. It provides a calculation example using the approximation of 1/3 as 0.33, resulting in an absolute error of 0.0033, a relative error of approximately 0.0099, and a percentage error of about 0.99%. These metrics help quantify the closeness of an approximation to its true value.

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2 views

Q2

The document defines absolute error, relative error, and percentage error, explaining their significance in evaluating the accuracy of approximations. It provides a calculation example using the approximation of 1/3 as 0.33, resulting in an absolute error of 0.0033, a relative error of approximately 0.0099, and a percentage error of about 0.99%. These metrics help quantify the closeness of an approximation to its true value.

Uploaded by

kavitha.niha94
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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2. Define Absolute error, Relative error and Percentage error.

Also calculate
each type of error if 1/3 is approximated as 0.33.

Understanding Absolute Error, Relative Error, and Percentage Error


When approximating values, it’s essential to quantify how close the approximation is to the
actual or true value. Three important metrics help achieve this: absolute error, relative error, and
percentage error. Each serves a specific purpose in understanding the accuracy and reliability
of the approximation. Let us define each concept clearly.

1. Absolute Error

The absolute error measures the magnitude of the difference between the true value and the
approximated value. It is calculated using the formula:

Absolute Error=∣True Value−Approximated Value∣\text{Absolute Error} = |\


text{True Value} - \text{Approximated Value}|Absolute Error=∣True
Value−Approximated Value∣

Absolute error is always a non-negative value because it considers only the size of the error,
ignoring whether the approximation is higher or lower than the actual value.

2. Relative Error

The relative error expresses the error in relation to the true value. It gives a sense of how
significant the error is compared to the true value and is given by the formula:

Relative Error=Absolute ErrorTrue Value\text{Relative Error} = \frac{\text{Absolute Error}}{\


text{True Value}}Relative Error=True ValueAbsolute Error

Relative error is unitless and typically presented as a decimal. It is particularly useful when
comparing errors across values of different magnitudes.

3. Percentage Error

The percentage error provides the error as a percentage of the true value. This form is often
used in practical situations because percentages are easier to interpret. It is calculated as:

Percentage Error=Relative Error×100\text{Percentage Error} = \text{Relative Error} \times


100Percentage Error=Relative Error×100

This value gives a more intuitive understanding of the approximation’s accuracy.


Example Calculation: Approximating 13\frac{1}{3}31 as 0.33
To illustrate these concepts, let us calculate the absolute error, relative error, and percentage
error for the approximation of 13\frac{1}{3}31 as 0.33.

1. True Value: The actual value of 13\frac{1}{3}31 is approximately 0.3333 (up to four
decimal places).
2. Approximated Value: The given approximation is 0.33.

Step 1: Calculate Absolute Error

The absolute error is the absolute difference between the true value and the approximated
value:

Absolute Error=∣True Value−Approximated Value∣\text{Absolute Error} = |\


text{True Value} - \text{Approximated Value}|Absolute Error=∣True
Value−Approximated Value∣

Substituting the values:

Absolute Error=∣0.3333−0.33∣=0.0033\text{Absolute Error} = |0.3333 - 0.33| =


0.0033Absolute Error=∣0.3333−0.33∣=0.0033

Thus, the absolute error is 0.0033.

Step 2: Calculate Relative Error

The relative error is the ratio of the absolute error to the true value:

Relative Error=Absolute ErrorTrue Value\text{Relative Error} = \frac{\text{Absolute Error}}{\


text{True Value}}Relative Error=True ValueAbsolute Error

Substituting the values:

Relative Error=0.00330.3333≈0.0099\text{Relative Error} = \frac{0.0033}


{0.3333} \approx 0.0099Relative Error=0.33330.0033≈0.0099

Thus, the relative error is approximately 0.0099.

Step 3: Calculate Percentage Error


The percentage error is the relative error expressed as a percentage:

Percentage Error=Relative Error×100\text{Percentage Error} = \text{Relative Error} \times


100Percentage Error=Relative Error×100

Substituting the relative error:

Percentage Error=0.0099×100≈0.99%\text{Percentage Error} = 0.0099 \times 100


\approx 0.99\%Percentage Error=0.0099×100≈0.99%

Thus, the percentage error is approximately 0.99%.

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