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Determining % Increase

Percentage Increase Formula:

\[ \text{Percentage Increase} = \left( \frac{\text{New Value} - \text{Old Value}}{\text{Old Value}} \right) \times 100 \]

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1. What is Percentage Increase?

Percentage increase measures how much a quantity has grown relative to its original value, expressed as a percentage. It's commonly used to track growth, inflation, performance improvements, and other changes over time.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the percentage increase formula:

\[ \text{Percentage Increase} = \left( \frac{\text{New Value} - \text{Old Value}}{\text{Old Value}} \right) \times 100 \]

Where:

Explanation: The formula calculates the difference between new and old values, divides by the original value to get relative change, then converts to a percentage.

3. Importance of Percentage Increase Calculation

Details: Percentage increase is vital in business (sales growth), finance (investment returns), economics (inflation rates), and science (experimental results). It provides a standardized way to compare changes across different scales.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter both old and new values in the same units. The old value must be positive (can't divide by zero). Negative results indicate percentage decrease.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between percentage increase and absolute increase?
A: Absolute increase is the simple difference (new - old), while percentage increase shows the change relative to the original value.

Q2: How do I interpret negative percentage increase?
A: A negative result actually indicates a percentage decrease between the values.

Q3: What if my old value was zero?
A: Percentage change is undefined when starting from zero, as it would require division by zero.

Q4: How is this different from percentage points?
A: Percentage points measure absolute difference between percentages, while percentage increase measures relative change from an original value.

Q5: Can percentage increase be over 100%?
A: Yes, this indicates the new value is more than double the original value.

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