Guides

The reasoning behind the numbers — clear, worked explanations.

How to calculate a percentage

From finding the percentage of a number to percentage increase and decrease — the four questions, formulas and worked examples.

Understanding your BMI

What body mass index measures, the WHO categories, the healthy weight range, and what BMI does and doesn't tell you.

How loan payments are calculated

The amortization (annuity) formula behind every fixed monthly payment, with a fully worked $10,000 example.

How to add or subtract days, months and years from a date

Adding a month to January 31st doesn't give you "February 31st" — here's the order calculations actually happen in, and why it matters.

Percent difference vs. percent change: what's the difference?

Percent change picks one value as the reference and is direction-sensitive. Percent difference treats both values equally — and gives the same answer no matter which order you enter them.

Combinations vs. permutations: does order matter?

C(n, r) counts selections where order doesn't matter — like lottery numbers. The moment order matters, you need permutations instead, and the count changes dramatically.

How many days until a date? Counting down correctly

Counting down to a deadline, trip or event means finding the day-level difference between today and a target date — direction and whether to include today both matter.

Ideal weight formulas explained — and their limits

The Devine formula behind most "ideal weight" calculators comes from 1970s medication-dosing practice, not a public health guideline — here's what it actually measures.

How to find the slope of a line from two points

Slope, the line equation, the angle of incline and the distance between two points all come from the same two coordinate pairs — here's how each is derived.

Circle formulas: radius, diameter, circumference and area

All four circle measurements can be derived from just one of them — here's how, with a worked example going the "reverse" direction from area back to radius.

How to calculate the duration between two times

Subtracting two clock times seems trivial until the end time is earlier than the start — like an overnight shift crossing midnight.

Sample vs. population standard deviation: which one to use

The two formulas differ by just one number in the denominator (n vs. n−1) — but picking the wrong one systematically biases your result.

How to calculate the volume of common 3D shapes

A cone is always exactly one-third the volume of a cylinder with the same radius and height — and a sphere with matching dimensions sits exactly between the two.