Question

In an experiment refractive index of glass was observed to be 1.45, 1.56, 1.54,
1.44, 1.54 and1.53. Calculate:
i) Mean value of refractiveindex
ii) Mean absolute error
iii) Relative error
iv)Percentage error
v) Express the result

Answer 1

Answer:

The mean may be calculated by summing the values of the refractive index and dividing the sum by the number of experiments. This is:

Mean = (1.45 + 1.56 + 1.54 + 1.44 + 1.54 + 1.53)/6

Mean = 1.51

The mean absolute error is the sum of the absolute values of errors divided by the number of trials:

MAE = (|1.45-1.51|+|1.56-1.51|+|1.54-1.51|+|1.44-1.51|+|1.54-1.51|+|1.53-1.51|)/6

MAE = 0.043 The fractional error is the MAE divided by the actual value: Fractional error = 0.043 / 1.51

Fractional error = 43/1510

The percentage error is the fractional error multiplied by 100: Percentage error = 2.85%