MathsFreePrintable

Measurement Error Introduction Worksheet

A free maths worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Measurement Error Introduction Worksheet

A workshop in Australia is checking parts before they are used in a small footbridge. Use the target measurement as the accepted value. Absolute error = |measured value − accepted value|. Percentage error = (absolute error ÷ accepted value) × 100%. Show working and include units where appropriate.

Read the measurement

The workshop’s digital calliper displays measurements to the nearest 0.1 mm. The table shows three checked parts.

Part

Accepted length (mm)

Measured length (mm)

Pin A

40.0

40.6

Brace B

125.0

124.2

Plate C

80.0

81.2

1.Which expression gives the absolute error when a part is measured as 24.7 mm instead of an accepted 25.0 mm?

24.7 − 25.0 = −0.3 mm
|24.7 − 25.0| = 0.3 mm
25.0 ÷ 24.7 mm
24.7 + 25.0 = 49.7 mm

2.Use the table to calculate the absolute error for Pin A. Include the unit.

3.Use the table to calculate the percentage error for Brace B. Give your answer to 2 decimal places.

4.The workshop allows a maximum absolute error of 1.0 mm. Which parts in the table meet this limit?

Pin A only
Brace B only
Pin A and Brace B only
All three parts

Tolerance and uncertainty

A tolerance is the permitted range around a target measurement. A tool that rounds to a stated increment also has a rounding uncertainty.

5.A steel rod should be 2.50 m long and is measured as 2.47 m. Calculate its absolute error and percentage error.

6.A tape measure records to the nearest 0.1 cm. What is the maximum rounding error for one reading?

0.1 cm
0.05 cm
0.5 cm
1 cm

7.A technician measures a 600 mm component as 603 mm. Calculate the absolute error and percentage error. Explain briefly what the percentage tells you.

8.Two measurements each have a 2% error: a 1.5 m garden edging length and a 5 mL liquid dose. Explain why the same percentage error can have different consequences.

9.A carpenter measures the same length twice with a tape marked in 1 cm increments: 84 cm and 85 cm. Give one sensible estimate of the length and state one limitation of these readings.

10.A part has an accepted length of 200 mm and a measured length of 196 mm. The maximum permitted percentage error is 1.5%. Does the part pass? Show your calculation.