You can determine the percentage difference between two numbers.
The percentage difference between two numbers determines the average percentage change between them without favoring one number or the other as a starting point. For example, you can find the average percentage change between 15 basketball games played in one year and 10 basketball games played in another year if neither year is more important than the other. Percentage difference doesn't distinguish between a change from 10 to 15 or 15 to 10. Percentage difference equals the absolute value of the difference between two numbers, divided by their average, multiplied by 100. Absolute value means to make a negative result positive.
Instructions
1. Substitute the value of two numbers "a" and "b" in the percentage difference equation |a - b|/[(a + b)/2] x 100. The "|" symbols designate absolute value. For this example, use 15 for "a" and 10 for "b." This gives the equation |15 - 10|/[(15 + 10)/2] x 100.
2. Subtract 10 from 15 in the numerator of the equation -- 15 minus 10 equals 5.
3. Determine the absolute value of the result by making it a positive number if it is negative. The number 5 is already positive, so leave it positive.
4. Add 15 plus 10 in the denominator, which equals 25.
5. Divide 25 by 2, which equals 12.5. This is the denominator, which is the average of the two numbers. This leaves the equation 5/12.5 x 100.
6. Divide the numerator by the denominator -- 5 divided by 12.5 equals 0.4.
7. Multiply 0.4 by 100 to convert the number into a percentage. This equals 40 percent, which is the percentage difference between 10 and 15.
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