Propagation of error

Propagation of error is when a mistake in one part of a process causes more mistakes to happen later on in the same process. Imagine that you make a cake, and you accidentally put in the wrong amount of sugar. The sugar is in the recipe to give the cake a certain flavor, so when you eat it you may find that it does not taste very good. This is an example of how an error in one part of the process (putting in too much sugar) caused a problem with the end result (the cake not tasting good).