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
Percent error is calculated by finding the difference between the estimated value and the actual value, dividing that difference by the actual value, and then multiplying by 100.
In this case, the estimated height of the giraffe is 18 feet, and the actual height is 16 feet.
Difference = 18 - 16 = 2
Actual value = 16
Percent error = (difference / actual value) * 100
Percent error = (2 / 16) * 100
Percent error = 0.125 * 100
Percent error = 12.5%
Therefore, Teresa's percent error is 12.5%.