Figuro Blog
Longer explainers on the math and formulas behind our calculators — for when a quick result isn't quite enough context.
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How to Calculate Percent Off: Sale Price, Savings and Stacked Discounts
Learn the percent off formula, how to find the original price from a sale price, why stacked discounts do not add up, and how discounts and sales tax combine.
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How to Add and Subtract Time: Hours, Minutes and Seconds Explained
Learn how to add and subtract hours, minutes and seconds with carrying and borrowing, handle overnight shifts, and convert time to decimal hours.
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Word Counter, Case Converter and Base64: A Practical Guide to Everyday Text Tools
When to use a word counter, case converter, JSON formatter and Base64 tool, with writing limits, naming styles and privacy tips for pasting text online.
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How to Write Meta Tags and Open Graph Tags That Get Clicks
A practical guide to title tags, meta descriptions and Open Graph tags: ideal lengths, what each does, common mistakes and how to preview before publishing.
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How to Dictate Text Accurately With Free Speech to Text
How browser speech to text works, which browsers support it, and how to get accurate dictation with the right microphone, pace, punctuation and review steps.
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How to Use Text to Speech to Proofread, Study and Listen Faster
Practical ways to use free text to speech: proofread by ear, study, learn languages and support accessibility, with tips on voice, speed and pitch.
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How to Extract Text From Images and Screenshots With OCR
How OCR turns photos, screenshots and scans into editable text, what makes it accurate, how to prepare your image and how to fix common recognition errors.
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How to Schedule a Meeting Without the Email Back-and-Forth
Find a meeting time that works for everyone with a shareable time poll: how many options to offer, how to handle time zones, and tips that get fast replies.
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How to Convert Excel to CSV (and CSV to Excel) Without Breaking Your Data
Convert Excel to CSV or JSON and CSV to Excel without losing leading zeros, accents or dates. Covers delimiters, UTF-8 encoding and what formatting is kept.
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How to Turn HTML Tables Into Excel or CSV Files
Copy a table from a web page into Excel or CSV: how to grab the HTML, what happens to merged cells and numbers, and fixes for tables that do not show up.
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XML vs JSON: What’s the Difference and How to Convert Between Them
Compare XML and JSON, learn when each fits, and see how attributes, repeated elements and numbers are handled when converting XML to JSON and JSON to XML.
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How to Convert a Word (DOCX) File to Clean HTML or Plain Text
Turn a Word .docx file into clean HTML or plain text in your browser. See what is kept, what is lost, how to handle old .doc files and how to save as PDF.
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How to Format and Validate JSON (and Fix the Most Common Errors)
Format, minify and validate JSON, understand line and column errors, fix trailing commas and single quotes, and convert JSON to CSV for spreadsheets.
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How to Compare Two Texts and Remove Duplicate Lines
Spot what changed between two versions of a text, see how a diff works and clean lists by removing duplicate lines. Tips for contracts, code and email lists.
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How to Calculate Tank Volume at Any Fill Level
Learn how to find the capacity of a tank and the liquid inside it at any depth, for horizontal and vertical cylinders, boxes and spheres.
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How to Calculate Weight From Volume
Turn a volume into a weight with density, using a table of common materials and worked examples for concrete, aluminium and steel.
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How Much Paint Do I Need? A Room-by-Room Guide
Work out how much paint to buy: measure the walls, subtract doors and windows, multiply by coats and divide by coverage.
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How Many Gallons Are in a Pool? Formulas for Every Shape
Formulas for rectangular, round, oval and kidney pools, how to find the average depth, and how long a pool takes to fill.
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How Many Bags of Concrete Do I Need for a Slab?
Bags of 40, 60 or 80 lb mix for common slab sizes, a worked example and when ready-mix is the better choice.
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Steel vs Aluminum: How Much Heavier Is Steel?
Steel is about 2.9 times denser than aluminum. See bar and plate weights and why equal-stiffness parts differ.
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Why Doubling the Size of a Shape Multiplies Its Volume by Eight
Understand the square-cube rule: scale every length by k and area grows by k squared while volume grows by k cubed.
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FHA vs Conventional Loan: Key Differences
Compare FHA and conventional mortgages on down payment, mortgage insurance, credit requirements and cost.
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How Much Should You Put Down on a House?
What different down payment sizes mean for your loan, monthly payment and mortgage insurance.
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How Much Should You Save Each Month?
A look at common savings targets and how regular deposits and interest add up over time.
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Why Paying More Than the Minimum Matters
How the minimum payment keeps debt alive and how a fixed higher payment shortens payoff.
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How Extra Mortgage Payments Save Interest
See how paying a little extra each month shortens a mortgage and cuts total interest, with a worked example.
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How Much Protein Do You Need Per Day?
Daily protein needs by goal, from general health to muscle building, with an example calculation.
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Debt-to-Income Ratio Explained: What Lenders Look At
What DTI is, how to calculate it, which ranges lenders prefer and how to lower yours.
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How Sleep Cycles Work and How to Time Your Bedtime
Learn about 90-minute sleep cycles and how to pick a bedtime that matches your wake-up time.
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15-Year vs 30-Year Mortgage: Which One Costs Less and Which Fits Your Budget?
Compare 15-year and 30-year mortgages side by side: monthly payment, total interest, flexibility and when each term makes sense, with a worked $300,000 example.
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Simple vs Compound Interest: What's the Difference and Why It Matters
Understand simple and compound interest with formulas and a side-by-side example showing how $10,000 grows over 10 and 30 years.
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APR vs APY: What's the Difference and Which One Should You Compare?
APR and APY look similar but measure different things. Learn how compounding separates them, with formulas and examples for loans and savings accounts.
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Roth IRA vs Traditional IRA: How to Choose the Right Retirement Account
Compare Roth and Traditional IRAs: tax treatment, withdrawal rules, income limits and which one suits different situations, with 2026 contribution limits.
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BMI vs Body Fat Percentage: Which Is a Better Health Measure?
BMI and body fat percentage measure different things. Compare how each is calculated, their strengths and limits, and when to use each one.
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Debt Snowball vs Debt Avalanche: Which Payoff Method Is Better?
Compare the debt snowball and avalanche methods with a three-card example showing total interest, payoff time and motivation trade-offs.
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Mean vs Median vs Mode: When to Use Each Average
Learn the difference between mean, median and mode with simple examples, and how outliers change which average best describes your data.
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JPG vs PNG vs WebP: Which Image Format Should You Use?
Compare JPG, PNG and WebP for photos, logos, screenshots and web pages: compression, transparency, file size and browser support, with clear recommendations.
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QR Code vs Barcode: What's the Difference and Which Should You Use?
Compare QR codes and traditional barcodes: how much data they hold, how they are scanned, where each is used and how to choose for your project.
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How to Compress Images for the Web Without Losing Quality
A practical guide to shrinking image file sizes for faster pages: resize first, pick the right format, choose a quality setting and check the result.
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How to Merge, Split and Sign PDFs Without Installing Software
A practical guide to combining, splitting and signing PDF files in your browser, with tips for page ranges, file order, signatures and privacy.
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How to Write an ATS-Friendly Resume That Humans Also Want to Read
Learn how applicant tracking systems read resumes and how to structure, word and format yours so it passes the software and impresses recruiters.
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How to Create a Professional Invoice (What to Include)
What every invoice needs, how to number and word it, payment terms that get you paid faster, and common mistakes freelancers and small businesses make.
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How to Track and Cut Subscription Costs You No Longer Use
Find every recurring charge, see what your subscriptions really cost per month, year and five years, and learn practical ways to cut the total.
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How to Use an MTG Calculator to Estimate Your Monthly Mortgage Payment
A step-by-step walkthrough of Figuro's mortgage calculator: which inputs matter, how PITI works, and three real scenarios worth running before you talk to a lender.
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Most Useful Millimeter to Inches Conversions Every DIYer Should Know
The mm-to-inches formula, fractional conversions, worked examples across four trades, a quick-reference table, and rounding rules that match real shop conditions.
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VAT vs Sales Tax: What's the Actual Difference?
How VAT and US sales tax actually differ — collection points, why VAT prices already include the tax, and what it means for online sellers.
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How Macro Splits Actually Work (And When to Adjust Them)
How protein, fat, and carb targets are actually calculated from your calorie goal, and when a generic macro split is worth adjusting.
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HEX, RGB, and HSL: Which Color Format Should You Use?
What HEX, RGB, and HSL color formats actually represent, and which one to reach for depending on the task.
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How Much House Can I Afford? A Simple Rule-Based Guide
The 28/36 and 3–5x income rules lenders use to estimate an affordable home price, with a worked example.
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How to Create a Budget: The 50/30/20 Method Explained
A simple three-bucket budgeting framework based on your take-home pay, with a worked example and common pitfalls.
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Debt Consolidation Explained: How It Works and When It Helps
The main consolidation methods, the break-even math, and when consolidating debt doesn't actually save money.
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Mortgage Refinancing Explained: When It's Worth It
The break-even calculation for refinance closing costs, and the hidden cost of resetting your amortization clock.
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How Retirement Savings Calculators Work (And Why Starting Early Matters)
How retirement calculators project your nest egg, the future value formula behind them, and why starting even a few years earlier changes the outcome.
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How Is BMI Calculated? A Complete Guide to Body Mass Index
What BMI actually measures, the exact formula behind it, how the standard categories are defined, and where BMI falls short as a health indicator.
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Compound Interest Explained: How Your Money Grows Over Time
The difference between simple and compound interest, why compounding frequency matters more than people expect, and a worked example you can follow by hand.
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How Mortgage Payments Are Calculated (And Why They're Mostly Interest at First)
The amortization formula behind every fixed-rate mortgage payment, and why your early payments barely touch the principal.
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How Auto Loan Payments Are Calculated (And How to Cut the Total Interest)
The auto loan payment formula, why early payments are mostly interest, and which factors actually reduce your total interest cost.
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Gross Pay vs Net Pay: How Salary Calculators Actually Work
The real difference between gross and net pay, how to convert between annual, monthly, weekly and hourly rates, and why job offers can be hard to compare.
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Body Fat Percentage Explained: What the US Navy Method Actually Measures
How the US Navy circumference method estimates body fat percentage, typical healthy ranges by sex, and why it differs from BMI.
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How Your Due Date Is Calculated (And Why It's Rarely Exact)
How the standard 40-week due date formula works, why it starts from your last period instead of conception, and why so few babies arrive on the exact date.
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Standard Deviation Explained: What It Actually Measures, in Plain English
A plain-language explanation of standard deviation, the step-by-step calculation, and the difference between population and sample standard deviation.
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How GPA Is Calculated: Weighted vs Unweighted, Explained
The GPA formula explained step by step, the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA, and how cumulative GPA changes over time.
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How Percentages Work: Percentage Change, Percentage Of, and Common Mistakes
Finding a percentage of a number, percentage change, percentage points vs percent, and how to reverse-calculate an original value.
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How Age Calculators Work (And Why Leap Years Complicate the Math)
How age is actually calculated from a birth date, why leap years affect day-based calculations, and the special case of a February 29 birthday.
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Ideal Weight Formulas Explained: Devine, Robinson, Miller, and Hamwi Compared
The four most common ideal weight formulas explained and compared, why they produce different results, and what they leave out.
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How Date Calculators Work: Counting Days Between Two Dates Correctly
Why calendar math is trickier than it looks: inclusive vs exclusive day counting, leap years, and converting days to weeks, months, and years.
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How to Simplify Fractions: The GCD Method Explained
How to simplify any fraction using the greatest common divisor, the fast Euclidean algorithm, and how to add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions.
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Password Entropy Explained: What Actually Makes a Password Strong
What password entropy actually measures, why length matters more than complexity, and practical takeaways for generating genuinely strong passwords.
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How Personal Loan Payments Are Calculated (Rate vs APR Explained)
The personal loan payment formula, the real difference between interest rate and APR, and why unsecured loans carry higher rates.
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How Calorie Calculators Work: BMR, TDEE, and Setting a Realistic Target
How BMR and TDEE are calculated using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, how activity level factors in, and why calorie targets are estimates.
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How Unit Conversion Works (And Why Metric-to-Imperial Is Never Round)
How conversion factors work, common length and weight conversions, and why converting between metric and imperial rarely produces clean numbers.
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How Income Tax Brackets Actually Work (Marginal vs Effective Rate)
Why moving into a higher tax bracket doesn't tax all your income at that rate, and the difference between marginal and effective tax rate.
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How Sales Tax Is Calculated (And How to Reverse a Total Back to Pre-Tax Price)
The sales tax formula, how to correctly work backward from a total price, and why sales tax rates vary so much by location.
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What Is TDEE and How Is It Calculated?
How TDEE is built from BMR and an activity multiplier using the Mifflin-St Jeor formula, and how to use it to lose, maintain, or gain weight.
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How Credit Card Payoff Is Calculated (And Why Minimum Payments Cost So Much)
How credit card interest compounds daily, the math behind payoff time, and why paying only the minimum can take years and double your total cost.
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How the Quadratic Formula Works (Step by Step, With a Worked Example)
The quadratic formula explained step by step: where it comes from, how the discriminant works, and a full worked example.
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What Is a 1-Rep Max? How It's Calculated Without Actually Lifting It
What one-rep max (1RM) means, why it's rarely tested directly, and the Epley and Brzycki formulas used to estimate it safely.
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How Unit Conversion Handles Cooking Measurements (And Why Cups Aren't Reliable)
Why cooking conversions between cups, grams, and ounces aren't exact, the difference between weight and volume, and reliable conversion factors.
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How Days-From/Until Calculators Work (And Why the Count Can Look Off by One)
How days-from and days-until calculations work, why inclusive vs exclusive counting causes off-by-one confusion, and how leap years factor in.
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