1. What is Percent Difference?

Percent difference is a measure of how much two values differ relative to their average. It's commonly used to compare an experimental value with a theoretical value, or to compare two experimental results.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the percent difference formula:

Where:

• New Value — The experimental or measured value
• Old Value — The reference or theoretical value
• | | — Absolute value (always positive)

Explanation: The formula calculates the absolute difference between two values, divides by their average, and converts to a percentage.

3. When to Use Percent Difference

Details: Percent difference is useful when comparing two values where neither is clearly "correct" or when you want to measure relative change between two quantities of the same type.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both values (order doesn't matter due to absolute value). The calculator works for any numerical values except when both values are zero (division by zero).

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: How is percent difference different from percent change?
A: Percent change compares a new value to an original value (one-directional), while percent difference compares any two values symmetrically.

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

Q3: Can percent difference be negative?
A: No, because the formula uses absolute value, the result is always positive or zero.

Q4: What's considered a "good" percent difference?
A: This depends on your field and application. In some fields, <5% might be excellent, while others may tolerate higher differences.

Q5: What if both values are zero?
A: The formula is undefined (division by zero) when both values are zero.