Percentage Change Formula:
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Definition: This calculator measures the relative change between an old value and a new value, expressed as a percentage.
Purpose: It helps analyze growth rates, price changes, performance improvements, and other comparative measurements.
The calculator uses the formula:
Where:
Explanation: The difference between new and old values is divided by the old value to get the relative change, then multiplied by 100 to convert to percentage.
Details: Percentage change is widely used in finance, economics, business analysis, science experiments, and performance tracking to understand growth or decline.
Tips: Enter both old and new values. The calculator will show the percentage change and indicate whether it's an increase or decrease.
Q1: What does a negative percentage change mean?
A: A negative result indicates a decrease from the old value to the new value.
Q2: What if my old value is zero?
A: Percentage change is undefined when the old value is zero (division by zero). The calculator will not compute in this case.
Q3: How is this different from percentage difference?
A: Percentage change compares two values over time, while percentage difference compares two simultaneous values.
Q4: Can I calculate percentage increase and decrease separately?
A: The same formula works for both - positive results indicate increase, negative results indicate decrease.
Q5: What fields commonly use percentage change?
A: Finance (stock prices), economics (GDP growth), business (sales trends), science (experimental results), and more.