1. What is Percentage Difference?

Percentage difference measures the relative difference between two values as a percentage of their average. It's useful for comparing two values where neither is clearly a reference or "correct" value.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the percentage difference formula:

Where:

• \( A \) — First value
• \( B \) — Second value
• \( |A - B| \) — Absolute difference between A and B
• \( \frac{A + B}{2} \) — Average of A and B

Explanation: The formula calculates how much two numbers differ relative to their average size.

3. When to Use Percentage Difference

Details: Percentage difference is commonly used in scientific comparisons, quality control, and any situation where you want to compare two experimental values or measurements.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter any two numerical values (positive or negative). The calculator will compute the percentage difference between them.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: How is percentage difference different from percentage change?
A: Percentage change compares a new value to an old value (reference), while percentage difference compares two equal-status values.

Q2: What does a 0% difference mean?
A: A 0% difference means the two values are identical.

Q3: Can percentage difference be more than 100%?
A: Yes, if one value is more than three times the other, the percentage difference can exceed 100%.

Q4: How should I interpret percentage difference?
A: The interpretation depends on context. In some fields, even a 5% difference might be significant, while in others, 20% might be acceptable.

Q5: What if one of my values is zero?
A: The calculator handles zero values, but be cautious interpreting results when values are near zero as small absolute differences can produce large percentage differences.