The difference between two values can indicate many things, like the growth of a business or the shrinking of a waistline. But what if both values are equally important and neither is a product of the other? When this happens, the percentage difference between the values needs to remain unbiased and representative of both values. Calculation of this type of percentage depends on both the average of the values and the values themselves.
Instructions
1. Find two values for example purposes. For this example, let the values be 60 and 40.
2. Subtract one value and from the other. For this example, subtracting 60 from 40 equals -20.
3. Convert the difference to its absolute value, which is the positive of the number. For this example, the absolute value of -20 is 20.
4. Add the two values and then divide by 2 to find the average. For this example, adding 40 to 60 results in 100, and half of 100 is 50.
5. Divide the absolute value of the difference from Step 3 by the average from Step 4. For this example, dividing 20 by 50 results in 0.4.
6. Multiply the quotient from Step 4 by 100 to calculate the percentage. Concluding this example, multiplying 0.4 by 100 results in 40 percent.
Tags: this example, absolute value, from Step, both values, difference between