1. What is a Percent Change Calculator?

Definition: This calculator determines the percentage increase or decrease between two values.

Purpose: It helps analyze changes in quantities over time, such as price changes, growth rates, or performance metrics.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the formula:

Where:

• New Value — The current or ending value
• Old Value — The original or starting value

Explanation: The difference between new and old values is divided by the old value, then multiplied by 100 to convert to a percentage.

3. Importance of Percent Change Calculation

Details: Percent change provides a standardized way to compare changes across different scales and magnitudes.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both old and new values. The old value cannot be zero. Positive results indicate increase, negative results indicate decrease.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What does a negative percent change mean?
A: A negative result indicates a decrease from the old value to the new value.

Q2: Why can't the old value be zero?
A: Division by zero is undefined in mathematics, making percent change calculation impossible when starting from zero.

Q3: How is this different from percentage points?
A: Percent change measures relative change, while percentage points measure absolute difference between percentages.

Q4: What's considered a significant percent change?
A: Significance depends on context - a 5% price increase might be significant, while a 5% population growth might not be.

Q5: Can I calculate compound percent changes?
A: This calculator shows simple percent change. For compound changes over multiple periods, use a different formula.