RELATIVE ERROR (or percentage error) is more useful for comparing measurements of different magnitudes. Here's why: Absolute error tells us the actual size of the error in the original units, but it doesn't account for the scale of the measurement. For example: Measurement 1: Measuring 10 m with 1 m error (absolute error = 1 m). Measurement 2: Measuring 1000 m with 1 m error (absolute error = 1 m). Both have the same absolute error (1 m), but clearly Measurement 2 is much more accurate. Relative error reveals this: Measurement 1: Relative error = 1/10 = 0.1 or 10%. Measurement 2: Relative error = 1/1000 = 0.001 or 0.1%. The relative error shows that Measurement 2 is 100 times more accurate! This is why scientists, engineers, and ECZ examiners prefer relative or percentage error when comparing the quality of different measurements. In ECZ Paper 2, questions often ask you to determine which of several measurements is most reliable, requiring you to calculate and compare relative errors.

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Zambia

• Joseph Soko – 101 pts

• Distance of A Straight Line
• Mid-point of A Line
• Equation of a Straight Line
• Parallel and Perpendicular Lines
• COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS