The probability density of phase angles for structures with one or more atoms on known positions [Sim (1959). A cta Cryst. 12,[813][814][815][816][817][818] is expressed in terms of normalized difference-structure factors, and used to calculate standard deviations of phases and expectation values for amplitudes (IE~ I) of the normalized difference-structure factors. Numerical results are tabulated for various values of I Ell and I E 21, i.e. the minimum and maximum I Erl value a given reflection can have. Applications to the DIRDIF procedures [van den Hark, Prick & Beurskens (1976). Acta Cryst. A32, 816-821] are described. New applications are the calculation of the a priori probability density function for levi values, and a statistical rriethod for the detection of a centre of symmetry in the remaining part of the structure. For the statistical method, a centricity parameter, X c, which is unity for centric and zero for acentric distributions, is defined; for the difference structure, X c is calculated by an iterative procedure, extrapolating towards zero contribution of the known part of the structure. Numerical results for 13 test structures are given.