Mean absolute deviation (MAD) of a data set is the average distance between each data value and the mean.
Mean absolute deviation helps us get a sense of how “spread out” the values in a data set are.
Formula to calculate mean absolute deviation.
- Start by finding the mean of the data set.
- Find the absolute value of the difference between each data value and the mean.
- Find the sum of the absolute values and divide the sum by the number of data values.
Example:
Find the mean absolute deviation of the data set below.
2, 4, 6, 3, 7,
We’ll begin by finding the mean of the data set.
![Calculate Mean Absolute Deviation.](https://www.learntocalculate.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/MAD.png)
Then find the absolute value of the difference between each data value and the mean.
![Calculate Mean Absolute Deviation.](https://www.learntocalculate.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Mad-2.png)
Lastly, find the sum of the absolute values and divide by the number of the values.
![Calculate Mean Absolute Deviation.](https://www.learntocalculate.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/MAD-3.png)
Therefore, the MAD of the data set is 1.64.