Mehedi Hasan Shimul
The theoretical data and experimental data don’t always match. In that case, we can calculate the error percentage by subtracting theoretical data from experimental data. The error can be calculated as a percentage of theoretical data. In this article, we will show you 3 easy methods to calculate the error percentage in Excel.
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3 Easy Methods to Calculate Error Percentage in Excel
We can calculate error by subtracting theoretical data from theoretical data. If we divide the error by the theoretical data and multiply it by 100 we get the error percentage. Here we will discuss 3 easy and simple methods to calculate the error percentage in Excel.
Method 1: Calculate Error Percentage Using Percent Error Formula in Excel
We can apply a general formula to get the error percentage in Excel. We are showing below the steps for doing that.
- First we create a dataset. It includes some experimental and theoretical data from which we will calculate the error percentage.
- Then we have to write the following formula in cell D5 and press Enter.
=(B5-C5)*100/C5- Use Fill Handle to copy the formula in the cells below.
- We can see the percentage error for the set of data.
Read More: Why Are My Percentages Wrong in Excel? (4 Solutions)
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Method 2: Apply Excel Percentage Format for Error Percentage Calculation
We can also calculate the decimal value of the error first and apply the Percentage format to the decimal value to get the error percentage. We are showing the steps below.
- First we write the following formula in the cell D5.
=(B5-C5)/C5- Next, hit Enter.
- Then use Fill Handle to copy the formula in the cells below.
- We select cells (E5:E7) where we want to get the error percentage.
- Afterwards we select the percentage format from the Home tab in the ribbon.
- Later on we write the following formula in the cell E5 and press Enter.
=D5- Now, use Fill Handle to copy the formula in the cells below.
- Hurrah! We can see the error percentage.
Read More: How to Calculate Accuracy Percentage in Excel (3 Methods)
Method 3: Use ABS Function to Calculate Mean Absolute Percentage Error
So far we calculated the error percentage which can be both positive or negative but we may need to get the absolute value of the error. Further, we may want the mean of absolute error percentage for a set of data. We will show the steps to calculate the mean absolute percentage error in Excel here.
- First, we calculate the comparative error in decimal by writing the following formula in the cell D5.
=(B5-C5)/C5- Next, hit Enter.
- After that, use the Fill Handle tool to the next cells to see the results or errors.
- Then we write the following formula in the cell E5.
=ABS(D5)- Further, press Enter from the keyboard.
- Again, use Fill Handle to copy the formula in the cells below.
- Now, we write the following formula in the cell E9.
=SUM(E5:E7)/COUNT(E5:E7)- Hit Enter to get the absolute mean percentage error.
- Yahoo! We have successfully calculated the absolute mean percentage error.
Read More: How to Calculate Mean Percentage Error in Excel
Conclusion
Error percentage is very helpful to assess the accuracy of an experiment. In this article, we have shown 3 different methods to calculate the error percentage in Excel. If you have any queries or suggestions, please let us know by commenting. Please visit our ExcelDemy site for similar articles on Excel.
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