1. What is Percent Difference?

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

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the percent difference formula:

Where:

• \( v1 \) — First value
• \( v2 \) — Second value
• \( |v1 - v2| \) — Absolute difference between the values
• \( (v1 + v2)/2 \) — Average of the two values

Explanation: The formula calculates how much two numbers differ as a percentage of their average value.

3. When to Use Percent Difference

Details: Percent difference is useful when comparing two values where neither is considered "correct" or "standard". It's commonly used in scientific experiments, quality control, and data analysis.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter any two numerical values. The calculator will compute the percent difference between them. Both positive and negative values are acceptable.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between percent difference and percent change?
A: Percent change compares a new value to an old value, while percent difference compares any two values without considering one as a reference.

Q2: Can percent difference be negative?
A: No, because the formula uses absolute value of the difference. It always returns a positive value or zero.

Q3: What does a 0% difference mean?
A: A 0% difference means the two values are identical.

Q4: What's considered a "good" percent difference?
A: This depends on the context. In some fields, <5% might be acceptable, while others might tolerate higher differences.

Q5: How is this different from percentage error?
A: Percentage error compares a measured value to a known or theoretical value, while percent difference compares any two values.