what is the percentage difference between two numbers
What is the percentage difference between two numbers?
Answer: Calculating the percentage difference between two numbers is a useful way to understand the relative difference between them. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to calculate the percentage difference:
1. Identify the Two Numbers:
Let’s denote the two numbers as ( A ) and ( B ).
2. Calculate the Difference:
Subtract the smaller number from the larger number to find the absolute difference.
\text{Difference} = |A - B|
3. Calculate the Average of the Two Numbers:
The average of ( A ) and ( B ) is calculated as:
\text{Average} = \frac{A + B}{2}
4. Calculate the Percentage Difference:
The percentage difference is then calculated using the formula:
\text{Percentage Difference} = \left( \frac{\text{Difference}}{\text{Average}} \right) \times 100
Example Calculation:
Let’s say we have two numbers, ( A = 150 ) and ( B = 100 ).
-
Identify the Numbers:
- ( A = 150 )
- ( B = 100 )
-
Calculate the Difference:
\text{Difference} = |150 - 100| = 50 -
Calculate the Average:
\text{Average} = \frac{150 + 100}{2} = 125 -
Calculate the Percentage Difference:
\text{Percentage Difference} = \left( \frac{50}{125} \right) \times 100 = 40\%
Therefore, the percentage difference between the numbers 150 and 100 is 40%.
General Formula:
For any two numbers ( A ) and ( B ), the percentage difference can be expressed as:
\text{Percentage Difference} = \left( \frac{|A - B|}{\frac{A + B}{2}} \right) \times 100
This method ensures that the percentage difference is a measure of the relative difference between the two numbers, taking into account their average value.