How do I calculate a percentage increase if the original amount was 0.

[ryan_Crs]

Hi all, I have recently found myself working with finances and I need to learn quickly; I enough to get me by but I have found my first blunder.

I am trying to calculate a percentage increase in expenditure when the original spending forecast was 0. So, say; £5 was spent on books when the original forecast for expenditure for this product was 0.

I have tried dividing the increase with the expected amount of 0; so, 5/0 and multiplying that by 100 (5/0*100) however, my spreadsheet processer cannot calculate it, assuming it is because a number cannot be divided by 0 (logical).

All I need is an equation to calculate what percentage increase £5 would be from £0 (I know this may seem simple, but go on easy on me; this is not background at all).

Thank you!

 

[Deleted member 4993]

Hi all, I have recently found myself working with finances and I need to learn quickly; I enough to get me by but I have found my first blunder.

I am trying to calculate a percentage increase in expenditure when the original spending forecast was 0. So, say; £5 was spent on books when the original forecast for expenditure for this product was 0.

I have tried dividing the increase with the expected amount of 0; so, 5/0 and multiplying that by 100 (5/0*100) however, my spreadsheet processer cannot calculate it, assuming it is because a number cannot be divided by 0 (logical).

All I need is an equation to calculate what percentage increase £5 would be from £0 (I know this may seem simple, but go on easy on me; this is not background at all).

Thank you!

Please post an EXACT problem (verbatim) as it was given to you - do not try to para-phrase unless the original problem was in "non-english" language.

 

[Steven G]

To figure out the answer try this--
Calculate what percentage increase £5 would be from £1
Calculate what percentage increase £5 would be from £0.5
Calculate what percentage increase £5 would be from £0.25
Calculate what percentage increase £5 would be from £0.125
....

 

[pka]

I am trying to calculate a percentage increase in expenditure when the original spending forecast was 0. So, say; £5 was spent on books when the original forecast for expenditure for this product was 0

None of the usual method work due to the probation on division by zero.
If the price of an item went from \(\displaystyle 1p\) to \(\displaystyle 5£\) what is the percent of increase?

 

[Dr.Peterson]

Hi all, I have recently found myself working with finances and I need to learn quickly; I enough to get me by but I have found my first blunder.

I am trying to calculate a percentage increase in expenditure when the original spending forecast was 0. So, say; £5 was spent on books when the original forecast for expenditure for this product was 0.

I have tried dividing the increase with the expected amount of 0; so, 5/0 and multiplying that by 100 (5/0*100) however, my spreadsheet processer cannot calculate it, assuming it is because a number cannot be divided by 0 (logical).

All I need is an equation to calculate what percentage increase £5 would be from £0 (I know this may seem simple, but go on easy on me; this is not background at all).

Thank you!

When the original value is zero, percentage increase is simply the wrong question to ask -- it has no answer. In this situation, you need to find a different question to ask instead of "percent increase".

Starting with zero, any percent increase will result in zero; there is no way to get anywhere else.

Here is an answer I wrote long ago about a slightly harder case: When Percentage Calculations are Inappropriate

 

[JeffM]

Mathematically, there is no numeric answer. Personally, I'd show NA, meaning not "not available" or "not applicable." if you have to show something.