I believe they are equivalent (they have the same or very close to the same meaning). They are both used to introduce examples. I like sports, for example/for instance, football, tennis, and hockey. "For example" can be abbreviated (shortened) to "e.g.". I like sports, e.g., football, tennis, and hockey. The abbreviation comes from Latin (a language that comes from Italy and is considered to be a dead language). Approximately, 50% of English comes from Latin. Another 30 or 40% comes from the German language.

e.g. is written in Latin as "exempli gratia" and means 'for example'. I guess the one year of latin studies actually taught me something - what a surprise:) For anyone who's interested - the abbreviation "i.e." is also Latin and means "id est" = "that is" and most often can be considered or understood to mean "that is to say" (= another way to say or express something). So, I studied Latin, and I actually remembered something useful, i.e. I must have been awake in class that day.

nope,they can be used in the same registers (meagni,g one is not more formal in tone than the other).Jist different variation of the same concept

I found this online: Technically: I would hear for example to refer to a particular type of occurrence where many types exist. And I would hear for instance to refer to a particular occurance of the same type, where many occurances exist. For example: The auditors look for many types of fraudulent activity, for example, reporting revenue from fictional sales. Implying there are other types of fraudulent activities. Mr X is being investigated for wash sale rules violations, for instance the trade with ABC Corp where he bought the same shares in his personal account from DEF Corp. Implying there are other violations of the same type, ie wash sale violations, and this is just one instance/occurance. In principle, they are not synonymous. However, in practice they are used interchangeably. @Richard - I always thought e.g. was an abbreviation for example given. Learn something new everyday!

Thank's Richard, i get it :D