Question

Larry took his new puppy, Belle, to the veterinarian. Before the visit, Larry guessed she weighed 9.5 pounds. During the visit, Belle actually weighed 10 pounds. What is the percent error for Larry's guess?
If necessary, round your answer to the nearest tenth of a percent.
__%

Answer 1

To calculate the percent error for Larry's guess, we use the formula for percent error:

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

Where the absolute error is the difference between the actual value and the guessed value.

In this case:
- Actual Value = 10 pounds
- Guessed Value = 9.5 pounds

First, we find the absolute error:

\[
\text{Absolute Error} = | \text{Actual Value} - \text{Guessed Value} | = | 10 - 9.5 | = 0.5 \text{ pounds}
\]

Now we substitute the absolute error and the actual value into the percent error formula:

\[
\text{Percent Error} = \left( \frac{0.5}{10} \right) \times 100
\]

Now calculate it:

\[
\text{Percent Error} = 0.05 \times 100 = 5
\]

So, the percent error for Larry's guess is:

\[
\boxed{5\%}
\]