Finding Percent Error

 Units to compare: English UnitMetric Unit yardstometers feettodecimeters inches to centimeters In a perfect world, there are actually:  0.91 meters in one yard  decimeters in one foot  2.54 centimeters in one inch

 To find percent error:  Step 1: Take your metric measurement divided by your English measurement. Height of book:  11.2 inches  28.3 centimeters  28.3 ÷ 11.2 = 2.53

 Step 2: Take your result minus the actual number for the units you are using. Actual for inches and centimeters is – 2.54 = -0.01

 Step 3: You might end up with a negative number, so take the negative sign off = 0.01

 Step 4: Take your result divided by the actual number for the units you are using ÷ 2.54 =

 Step 5: Change this number into a percent by multiplying it by 100 (or by moving the decimal point two places to the right – same answer) x 100 = 0.39%

 Step 6: Check. Is your answer less than 10%? For this lab, having less than 10% error is okay.