A Student Measured the Density of Galena

Calculating Percent Error

Percent error is a way to quantify the accuracy of a measurement by comparing it to the true or accepted value. In this case, the student measured the density of Galena to be 7.9g/cm3, while the known density is 7.6g/cm3. To calculate the percent error, we can use the formula:

Percent Error = |(Measured Value - True Value)| / True Value x 100%

Plugging in the values:

Percent Error = |(7.6 - 7.9)| / 7.9 x 100% = 0.3 / 7.9 x 100%

Percent Error ≈ 0.04 x 100% = 4%

Therefore, the percent error of the measurements in determining the density of Galena is approximately 4%.
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