1.Relative error
The relative error is defined as the ratio of the absolute error of the measurement to the actual measurement. Using this method, we can determine the magnitude of the absolute error in terms of the actual size of the measurement.
How do you find the relative error? The relative error is found by dividing the absolute error by the measured value. The relative error equation is: Relative error = absolute error / measured value.
Eg: A student measures the width of a piece of paper to be 36 centimeters. The actual width of the paper is 35.75 centimeters. What is the relative error in this measurement?
Ans: In this case, it is |36 – 35.75| = 0.25 cm. Next, we calculate the relative error. The relative error is the absolute error divided by the actual value, then multiplied by 100% to convert it to a percentage. So, the relative error is (0.25 / 35.75) * 100% =Â 0.7%.