1. What is Percent Change?

Definition: Percent change measures the relative difference between an old value and a new value, expressed as a percentage.

Purpose: It's used to compare changes in quantities over time, such as price changes, growth rates, or performance improvements.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the formula:

Where:

• New — The current or updated value
• Old — The original or previous value

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.

3. Interpretation of Results

Positive % indicates an increase from old to new value.
Negative % indicates a decrease from old to new value.
0% means no change between values.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both new and old values. The old value cannot be zero (division by zero is undefined). Values can be positive or negative.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between percent change and percent difference?
A: Percent change compares two values over time (sequential), while percent difference compares two simultaneous values.

Q2: How do I interpret a negative percent change?
A: A negative result means the new value is smaller than the old value (a decrease).

Q3: What if my old value is zero?
A: The calculation is undefined (division by zero). Consider using absolute difference instead.

Q4: Can I use this for percentage increase or decrease?
A: Yes! Positive results are increases, negative are decreases.

Q5: How precise are the results?
A: Results are shown to 2 decimal places for most practical applications.