​What is the MAD of the data set of 8.5,6.4,8.1,9.5, and 10.0?

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