Approximation error: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 09:18, 7 July 2017

Revision as of 04:28, 8 December 2017

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{{broader|Approximation}}

[[File:E^x with linear approximation.png|thumb|Graph of <math>f(x) = e^x</math> (blue) with its linear approximation <math>P_1(x) = 1 + x</math> (red) at a = 0. The approximation error is the gap between the curves, and it increases for x values further from 0.]]

The '''approximation error''' in some data is the discrepancy between an exact value and some approximation to it. An approximation error can occur because:

#the [[measurement]] of the [[data]] is not precise due to the instruments. (e.g., the accurate reading of a piece of paper is 4.5&nbsp;cm but since the ruler does not use decimals, you round it to 5&nbsp;cm.) or

#approximations are used instead of the real data (e.g., 3.14 instead of [[pi|π]]).