Question

The listed weight of a steel beam is 88
pounds. An engineer weighs the beam in his shop and records a weight of 86.5
pounds.

The absolute error for the listed weight of the beam is _[blank 1]_, and the percent error is _[blank 2]_.

Select two answers: one for blank 1 and one for blank 2. Round the percent error to the nearest tenth of a percent.

Responses

blank 1: 1.5
pounds
blank 1: 1 point 5 pounds - no response given

blank 2: −1.7%
blank 2: negative 1 point 7 percent - no response given

blank 1: −1.7
pounds
blank 1: negative 1 point 7 pounds - no response given

blank 2: 1.7%
blank 2: 1 point 7 percent - no response given

blank 2: −1.5%
blank 2: negative 1 point 5 percent - no response given

blank 1: −1.5
pounds
blank 1: negative 1 point 5 pounds - no response given

blank 1: 1.7
pounds
blank 1: 1 point 7 pounds - incorrect

blank 2: 1.5%

Answer 1

To find the absolute error and the percent error, we can use the following formulas:

1. **Absolute Error** = Actual Value - Listed Value
2. **Percent Error** = (Absolute Error / Listed Value) × 100%

Given:
- Listed Weight = 88 pounds
- Actual Weight = 86.5 pounds

**Step 1: Calculate Absolute Error**

Absolute Error = Actual Weight - Listed Weight
Absolute Error = 86.5 - 88 = -1.5 pounds

**Step 2: Calculate Percent Error**

Percent Error = (Absolute Error / Listed Weight) × 100%
Percent Error = (-1.5 / 88) × 100%
Percent Error = -1.70% (rounded to the nearest tenth)

Now we can fill in the answers for the blanks:

- **Blank 1:** -1.5 pounds
- **Blank 2:** -1.7%

So, the responses are:

**blank 1:** negative 1 point 5 pounds
**blank 2:** negative 1 point 7 percent