Free Mean Absolute Deviation Calculator
Calculate the mean absolute deviation (MAD) to measure average distance of data points from the mean.
Mean Absolute Deviation
3.0000
Mean7.5000
Mean Absolute Deviation vs Value 1
How to Calculate Mean Absolute Deviation
Formula
MAD = (1/n) * Sum of xi - mean
For each value, find the absolute difference from the mean, then average those differences. Unlike variance, MAD does not square the deviations, making it less sensitive to outliers and easier to interpret: it is literally the average distance from the mean.
Example Calculation
Find the MAD of 3, 6, 9, 12.
- 01Mean = (3 + 6 + 9 + 12) / 4 = 30 / 4 = 7.5
- 02Absolute deviations: |3-7.5|=4.5, |6-7.5|=1.5, |9-7.5|=1.5, |12-7.5|=4.5
- 03Sum of absolute deviations = 4.5 + 1.5 + 1.5 + 4.5 = 12
- 04MAD = 12 / 4 = 3
Frequently Asked Questions
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