How to Calculate Percent Error and Absolute Error

The Organic Chemistry Tutor

This educational video provides a clear, step-by-step tutorial on how to calculate percent error and absolute error, essential skills for analyzing data in science laboratories. The narrator uses specific examples involving the density of aluminum and iron to demonstrate the difference between measured (experimental) values and accepted (actual) values. The video breaks down the mathematical formulas required, showing how to handle absolute values and convert decimals to percentages. Key themes include data analysis, scientific measurement, and mathematical applications in science. The video distinguishes between simple "error" (which can be positive or negative) and "percent error" (which is always positive due to absolute value). It walks viewers through substituting values into the formula: |Measured - Actual| / Actual × 100%, emphasizing the importance of order of operations and correct calculator usage. For educators, this resource serves as an excellent flipped classroom tool or post-lab support for chemistry and physics students. It allows students to self-pace their learning of error analysis, a concept often struggled with in early laboratory courses. The clear handwriting and spoken explanations make abstract formulas concrete, helping students understand not just how to plug in numbers, but what the resulting percentage actually represents regarding the accuracy of their experiments.