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 tenth. (4 points)
Percent error is calculated using the formula:
Percent Error = ((|actual value - estimated value|) / actual value) * 100
In this case, the actual value is 16 feet and the estimated value is 18 feet.
Substituting these values into the formula, we have:
Percent Error = ((|16 - 18|) / 16) * 100
Simplifying the expression inside the absolute value, we have:
Percent Error = (|-2| / 16) * 100
Now, we can calculate:
Percent Error = (2 / 16) * 100
Percent Error = 0.125 * 100
Percent Error = 12.5%
Therefore, Teresa's percent error is 12.5%.