1. What is Percentage Difference?

Definition: Percentage difference measures the relative difference between two numbers as a percentage of their average value.

Purpose: It's useful for comparing two values where neither is clearly a reference or starting value.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the formula:

Where:

• |Num1 - Num2| — Absolute difference between the two numbers
• (Num1 + Num2)/2 — Average of the two numbers

Explanation: The absolute difference is divided by the average of the two numbers, then multiplied by 100 to get a percentage.

3. When to Use Percentage Difference

Details: Use this calculation when comparing two experimental values, two measurements, or any two numbers where you want to understand their relative difference.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter any two numbers (positive or negative). The calculator will show the percentage difference between them.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: How is this different from percentage change?
A: Percentage change compares a new value to an original value, while percentage difference compares two values symmetrically.

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

Q3: Can I compare negative numbers?
A: Yes, the calculator works with both positive and negative numbers.

Q4: What's the maximum percentage difference possible?
A: When comparing a number with zero, the percentage difference approaches 200%.

Q5: How should I interpret the result?
A: Higher percentages indicate greater difference. There's no universal threshold for "significant" difference - it depends on your context.