AQA A’Level SLR11 Rounding, absolute & relative errors in binary
About this video
AQA Specification Reference
A Level 4.5.4.5-4.5.4.6
Both fixed point and floating point representation of decimal numbers may be inaccurate. This can be an odd concept to get your head around at first. In this video we explain clearly why this happens, talking specifically about the importance of absolute and relative errors.
Key questions:
- Why can both fixed point and floating point representation of decimal numbers be inaccurate?
- What is the difference between absolute and relative errors, and how can these be affected by number magnitude?
00:00 Rounding, absolute and relative errors in binary
00:15 Intro
00:20 Absolute and relative errors in binary
02:17 Currency example
03:12 Radar example
03:33 The importance of precision and accuracy
05:15 Absolute errors vs relative errors
06:17 The effect of number magnitude on absolute and relative errors
09:25 Key questions
09:43 Outro
Last updated: 08.05.25
