Are you looking for an actual measurable size difference or the difference in effectiveness when fired at a target? Size differences and comparisons, like Tros said, can be found on the makers' websites. Effectiveness is the big debate and a search on this site will turn up several threads with discussions.
The names of the rounds generally refer to their approximate diameter. .45 is about .45 inch diameter. 9mm is about 9mm diameter. This is the simplest answer I could come up with. There are a hundred bagillion differences between each caliber.
I do not have a website, but I can recommend a book that covers exactly what you are asking about. The book is Cartridges of the World. A new edition is out, and you can find it at Borders or Barnes&Noble; of course, there is Amazon too. The book is a great way to read up on all types of cartridges from the blackpowder era to the present. Studying it is how I learned to ID many obscure cartridges, especially when I worked in a gun store. It also explains the differences in all the modern ones. It will tell you everything you need to know to be well-versed in the subject of cartridges. Price is around $30. Happy reading.
I have HEARD and READ that some ER workers, and at least one coroner have stated that they cannot determine any difference in the tissue damage between various cartridges, for instance a 9mm or .45.
I think that the ammunition has more to do with tissue damage than caliber. However, it would seem that the one that starts out with the largest bullet would punch the biggest hole. But those who work with such actual wounds say otherwise from what I have read and heard.
JerryM...I know for sure that the dead BG did not know the difference!
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