Question

Teresa estimates that the height of a giraffe in a zoo is 18 feet in fact, it is 16 feet tall. What is Teresa’s percent error use proportional relationships to solve the problem. Be sure to show all your work provide your answer as a percentage and round your answer to the nearest 10th.

Answer 1

To find Teresa's percent error in her height estimate of the giraffe, we can use the following formula for percent error:

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

In this scenario:

- Estimated Value = 18 feet
- Actual Value = 16 feet

First, calculate the absolute error:

\[
|\text{Estimated Value} - \text{Actual Value}| = |18 - 16| = 2 \text{ feet}
\]

Next, substitute the values into the percent error formula:

\[
\text{Percent Error} = \left( \frac{2}{16} \right) \times 100
\]

Calculate the fraction:

\[
\frac{2}{16} = 0.125
\]

Now, multiply by 100 to convert it to a percentage:

\[
0.125 \times 100 = 12.5
\]

Finally, rounding to the nearest tenth gives us:

\[
\text{Percent Error} \approx 12.5\%
\]

Thus, Teresa's percent error in her estimate of the giraffe's height is **12.5%**.