Question

A zookeeper predicted the weight of a new baby elephant to be 272 pounds when it was born. The elephant actually weighed 304 pounds at birth. What was the percent error of the zookeeper's prediction?
A.
32%
B.
10.53%
C.
11.76%
D.
89.47%

Answer 1

To calculate the percent error, you can use the formula:

\[
\text{Percent Error} = \left( \frac{\text{Actual Value} - \text{Predicted Value}}{\text{Actual Value}} \right) \times 100
\]

In this case:

- Actual Value (weight of the baby elephant) = 304 pounds
- Predicted Value (weight predicted by the zookeeper) = 272 pounds

Now plug in the values:

\[
\text{Percent Error} = \left( \frac{304 - 272}{304} \right) \times 100
\]

\[
= \left( \frac{32}{304} \right) \times 100
\]

Now calculate:

\[
\frac{32}{304} \approx 0.105263
\]

Then multiply by 100 to get the percentage:

\[
0.105263 \times 100 \approx 10.53\%
\]

Thus, the percent error of the zookeeper’s prediction is approximately **10.53%**.

The answer is **B. 10.53%**.