1. What is a Percent Improvement Calculator?

Definition: This calculator measures the percentage change between an old value and a new value, showing improvement or degradation.

Purpose: It helps quantify performance improvements, cost reductions, efficiency gains, or any measurable change between two values.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the formula:

Where:

• \( \% \text{ Improvement} \) — Percentage change (positive or negative)
• \( V_{\text{old}} \) — Original or old value
• \( V_{\text{new}} \) — New or improved value

Explanation: The formula calculates the relative difference between the old and new values as a percentage of the old value.

3. Interpreting the Results

Positive Value: Indicates improvement (new value is better than old value)
Negative Value: Indicates degradation (new value is worse than old value)
Zero Value: No change between old and new values

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the original (old) value and the new value. The old value must be greater than zero.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What does a 20% improvement mean?
A: It means the new value is 20% better than the old value (e.g., time reduced from 100s to 80s).

Q2: Can this calculate percentage decrease?
A: Yes, a negative result indicates a percentage decrease in performance.

Q3: What if my old value is zero?
A: The calculation is undefined (division by zero). You cannot calculate percentage improvement from zero.

Q4: How is this different from percentage change?
A: It's essentially the same calculation, but typically used specifically to measure improvements.

Q5: Can I use this for financial metrics?
A: Yes, it works for costs, revenues, profits, or any quantifiable metric.