Deacon estimated that a car trip would take 4.5 hours. However, they completed the trip in 5 hours. What is the percent error in their estimation?

1 answer

To calculate the percent error in Deacon's estimation, we can use the following formula:

\[ \text{Percent Error} = \left( \frac{\text{Absolute Error}}{\text{Exact Value}} \right) \times 100 \]

Where:

  • Absolute Error = |Estimated Time - Actual Time|

In this case:

  • Estimated Time = 4.5 hours
  • Actual Time = 5 hours

First, we calculate the Absolute Error:

\[ \text{Absolute Error} = |4.5 - 5| = | -0.5 | = 0.5 , \text{hours} \]

Now we can plug the Absolute Error and Actual Time into the percent error formula:

\[ \text{Percent Error} = \left( \frac{0.5}{5} \right) \times 100 \]

Calculating the fraction:

\[ \frac{0.5}{5} = 0.1 \]

Now, multiply by 100 to find the percent:

\[ 0.1 \times 100 = 10 \]

Thus, the percent error in Deacon's estimation is:

\[ \boxed{10%} \]