What is Mean Deviation?

By MathHelloKitty

If you happen to be viewing the article What is Mean Deviation?? on the website Math Hello Kitty, there are a couple of convenient ways for you to navigate through the content. You have the option to simply scroll down and leisurely read each section at your own pace. Alternatively, if you’re in a rush or looking for specific information, you can swiftly click on the table of contents provided. This will instantly direct you to the exact section that contains the information you need most urgently.

Find out what standard deviation is and how it measures the average distance of data points from their mean. Explore its significance in statistical analysis and gain insights into its calculation methods and interpretation.

What is Mean Deviation?

Average deviation, also known as mean deviation or mean absolute deviation (MAD), is a statistical quantity that quantifies the average amount by which data points in a data set deviate from the mean (average) of the data set. It provides a measure of the dispersion or variability of the data.

To calculate the mean deviation, you follow these steps:

  • Calculate the mean (average) of the data set by adding up all the data points and dividing the sum by the number of data points.
  • For each data point, find the absolute difference between that data point and the mean.
  • Sum up all these absolute differences.
  • Divide the sum of the absolute differences by the total number of data points.
  • The result is the mean deviation.

The standard deviation provides a measure of how spread out the data points are around the mean. A smaller mean deviation indicates that the data points are closely clustered around the mean, while a larger mean deviation indicates that the data points are more scattered or scattered.

Mean deviation is often used as an alternative to standard deviation, which is another measure of variability. However, mean deviation is less often used because it does not have certain mathematical properties that make it as convenient to work with as standard deviation.

What is the Mean Deviation Formula?

The formula for mean deviation, also known as the mean absolute deviation (MAD), is calculated by finding the average of the absolute differences between each data point and the mean of the data set. The formula for mean deviation is as follows:

  • Mean Deviation = Σ(|X – μ|) / n

Where:

  • Σ represents the sum symbol (sum of)
  • |X – μ| represents the absolute difference between each data point (X) and the mean (μ)
  • n represents the number of data points in the dataset

To calculate the average deviation, you would subtract the mean from each data point, take the absolute value of the difference, sum all the absolute differences, and divide by the number of data points.

How to Calculate Mean Deviation?

To calculate the average deviation (mean absolute deviation), you can follow these steps:

  • Find the mean (average) of the data set.
  • Subtract the mean from each data point to obtain the standard deviation for each value.
  • Take the absolute value of each deviation.
  • Sum up all the absolute deviations.
  • Divide the sum of the absolute deviations by the number of data points to get the mean deviation.
READ  Introduction of Mean Deviation Method

Here is a step by step to illustrate the calculation:

Let’s say we have the following data set: 5, 8, 10, 12, 15

Step 1: Find the mean Mean = (5 + 8 + 10 + 12 + 15) / 5 = 10

Step 2: Calculate the deviation for each value Deviation for 5 = 5 – 10 = -5 Deviation for 8 = 8 – 10 = -2 Deviation for 10 = 10 – 10 = 0 Deviation for 12 = 12 – 10 = 2 Deviation for 15 = 15 – 10 = 15

Step 3: Take the absolute value of each deviation. Absolute deviation for 5 = |-5| = 5 Absolute deviation for 8 = |-2| = 2 Absolute deviation for 10 = |0| = 0 Absolute deviation for 12 = |2| = 2 Absolute deviation for 15 = |5| = 5

Step 4: Add up all absolute deviations Sum of absolute deviations = 5 + 2 + 0 + 2 + 5 = 14

Step 5: Divide the sum of absolute deviations by the number of data points Average deviation = 14 / 5 = 2.8

Therefore, the average deviation for the given data set is 2.8.

Mean Deviation Formula for Ungrouped Data

The mean deviation (also known as the mean absolute deviation) for ungrouped data is a measure of the mean absolute difference between each data point and the mean of the data set.

To calculate the mean deviation for ungrouped data, you can follow these steps:

Calculate the mean (average) of the data set by adding all the values ​​and dividing by the total number of values.

For each data point, find the absolute difference between the data point and the mean.

Add up all the absolute differences calculated in step 2.

Divide the sum of absolute differences by the total number of data points to find the mean deviation.

The formula for the mean deviation for ungrouped data can be expressed as:

  • Mean Deviation = Σ |xi – μ| / n

where:

  • Σ represents the sum (you must sum all the values),
  • |xi – μ| represents the absolute difference between each data point (xi) and the mean (μ),
  • n represents the total number of data points.

It is important to note that the mean deviation does not take into account the direction of the differences (whether they are above or below the mean) and is therefore a measure of dispersion rather than variability.

Mean Deviation Formula for Grouped Data

The average deviation for grouped data is a measure of dispersion that calculates the average distance between each data point and the mean of the data set. The formula for calculating the mean deviation for grouped data is as follows:

  • Calculate the midpoint for each interval. The midpoint is the average of the upper and lower limits of each range.
  • Calculate the mean of the grouped data by multiplying each midpoint by its corresponding frequency, adding these values, and dividing by the total frequency.
  • Subtract the mean from each midpoint.
  • Multiply the result of step 3 by the frequency of each interval.
  • Add the products obtained in step 4.
  • Divide the result of step 5 by the total frequency of the data set to get the mean deviation.

Mathematically, the formula for mean deviation for grouped data is:

  • Mean Deviation = (Σ(|X – μ| * f)) / N

Where:

  • X represents the midpoints of the intervals.
  • μ is the mean of the grouped data.
  • f represents the frequency of each interval.
  • Σ indicates the sum symbol, indicating that you must sum the values.
  • N is the total frequency, which is the sum of all the frequencies in the data set.
READ  Logarithms – Definition, Logarithm Properties, Application and FAQs

Note: The absolute value of the differences (|X – μ|) is taken to ensure that the deviations are positive and to eliminate the effect of cancellation due to negative differences.

Mean Deviation about Mean

Average deviation about the mean, also known as the average absolute deviation, is a measure of the dispersion or variability of a set of values ​​around their mean. It quantifies how far, on average, each value in the data set deviates from the mean.

  • To calculate the average deviation from the mean, you can follow these steps:
  • Calculate the mean (average) of the data set by adding all the values ​​and dividing by the total number of values.
  • For each value in the data set, subtract the mean and take the absolute value of the difference. This gives you the deviation of each value from the mean.
  • Add up all the deviations obtained in step 2.
  • Divide the sum of deviations by the total number of values ​​in the data set.
  • The resulting value is the average deviation about the mean.

Here is the formula for average deviation about the mean:

  • Mean deviation = (1/n) * Σ |xᵢ – μ|

Where:

  • n is the total number of values ​​in the dataset.
  • xᵢ represents each individual value in the data set.
  • μ is the mean of the data set.
  • Σ represents the summation symbol, summing all deviations.

Note: Mean deviation is always positive or zero because it involves taking the absolute value of the differences.

Mean Deviation about Median

The average deviation about the median is a statistical measure that quantifies the spread or variability of a data set relative to its median. It is calculated by finding the absolute differences between each data point and the median, summing those differences, and dividing by the number of data points.

The formula for calculating the average deviation around the median for a data set with n data points is as follows:

Mean Deviation about Median = Σ |xi – M| / n

Where:

  • Σ represents the sum symbol.
  • xi represents each individual data point in the dataset.
  • M represents the median of the data set.
  • n represents the number of data points in the dataset.

To calculate the average deviation about the median, follow these steps:

  • Sort the dataset in ascending order.
  • Find the median of the data set. If the data set has an odd number of data points, the median is the middle value. If the data set has an even number of data points, the median is the average of the two middle values.
  • Calculate the absolute differences between each data point and the median.
  • Add up all the absolute differences.
  • Divide the sum by the number of data points in the data set to get the average deviation about the median.

Note that the average deviation around the median is a measure of dispersion similar to the standard deviation, but it is less sensitive to outliers because it uses the median instead of the mean as the central value.

Mean Mode Deviation

Mean deviation about mode is a statistical measure that quantifies the average distance between data points and the mode of a data set. The mode represents the most frequently occurring value or values ​​in a data set.

READ  Difference Between Finite Set and Infinite Set

To calculate the mean deviation of a mode, you would follow these steps:

  • Find the mode of the data set, which is the value or values ​​that occur most often.
  • Calculate the deviation of each data point from the mode. The deviation is the absolute difference between the data point and the mode.
  • Add up all the deviations.
  • Divide the sum of the deviations by the total number of data points to find the mean deviation about mode.

The formula for calculating the mean deviation about a mode is:

  • Mean Mode Deviation = (Σ |Xᵢ – mode|) / N

Note that if the data set has multiple modes, you can calculate the mean deviation for each mode and take the average of those values.

It is important to mention that mean deviation about a mode is not a commonly used statistical measure compared to other measures such as mean, median or standard deviation. It is often used when the mode is considered a central value in the data set, and the analysis focuses on the dispersion of the data points around it.

Solved Examples on Mean Deviation

Here are some examples that show how to calculate the average deviation:

Example 1:

Suppose we have a dataset: {5, 8, 10, 12, 15}. Calculate the mean deviation.

Solution:

Step 1: Find the mean (average) of the data set.

Average = (5 + 8 + 10 + 12 + 15) / 5 = 50 / 5 = 10.

Step 2: Calculate the deviation for each data point by subtracting the mean from each value and take the absolute value.

|5 – 10| = 5

|8 – 10| = 2

|10 – 10| = 0

|12 – 10| = 2

|15 – 10| = 5

Step 3: Calculate the sum of all deviations.

5 + 2 + 0 + 2 + 5 = 14.

Step 4: Divide the sum of deviations by the number of data points to find the mean deviation.

Mean Deviation = 14 / 5 = 2.8.

Therefore, the average deviation for the given data set is 2.8.

Example 2:

Consider the data set: {3, 5, 7, 11, 14, 18}. Calculate the mean deviation.

Solution:

Step 1: Find the mean (average) of the data set.

Middle name = (3 + 5 + 7 + 11 + 14 + 18) / 6 = 58 / 6 = 9.67 (rounded to two decimal places).

Step 2: Calculate the deviation for each data point by subtracting the mean from each value and take the absolute value.

|3 – 9.67| = 6.67

|5 – 9.67| = 4.67

|7 – 9.67| = 2.67

|11 – 9.67| = 1.33

|14 – 9.67| = 4.33

|18 – 9.67| = 8.33

Step 3: Calculate the sum of all deviations.

6.67 + 4.67 + 2.67 + 1.33 + 4.33 + 8.33 = 28.

Step 4: Divide the sum of deviations by the number of data points to find the mean deviation.

Average Deviation = 28 / 6 ≈ 4.67 (rounded to two decimal places).

Therefore, the average deviation for the given data set is approximately 4.67.

These are two examples that illustrate the calculation of mean deviation for a given data set.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read the article titled What is Mean Deviation? written by Math Hello Kitty. Your support means a lot to us! We are glad that you found this article useful. If you have any feedback or thoughts, we would love to hear from you. Don’t forget to leave a comment and review on our website to help introduce it to others. Once again, we sincerely appreciate your support and thank you for being a valued reader!

Source: Math Hello Kitty
Categories: Math