MAD is the Mean Absolute Deviation.
For the data set: 8.5 6.4 8.1 9.5 10.0 :
First, find the mean: (8.5 + 6.4 + 8.1 + 9.5 + 10.0) / 5 = 8.5
Second, find the distance (the absolute value) of each data element from the mean:
| 8.5 - 8.5 | = 0 | 6.4 - 8.5 | = 2.1 | 8.1 - 8.5 | = 0.4 | 9.5 - 8.5 | = 1.0 | 10.0 - 8.5 | = 1.5
Third, find the mean of these distances: (0 + 2.1 + 0.4 + 1.0 + 1.5) / 5 = 5.0 / 5 = 1.0