Mia and Robert signed up to walk in a 5K walk/run race. They predict it will take them 60 minutes to complete the race. Mia and Robert finish the race in 53 minutes. What is the percent error?

Round to the nearest tenth.

1 answer

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

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

In this case, the estimated value is 60 minutes and the actual value is 53 minutes.

First, we'll find the difference between the estimated and actual values:

\[ \text{Difference} = 60 - 53 = 7 \text{ minutes} \]

Now, plug this difference into the percent error formula:

\[ \text{Percent Error} = \left( \frac{7}{60} \right) \times 100 \]

Calculating that gives:

\[ \text{Percent Error} = \left( 0.1167 \right) \times 100 \approx 11.67 \]

Rounding to the nearest tenth, the percent error is:

\[ \text{Percent Error} \approx 11.7% \]

So, the percent error is approximately 11.7%.