The resulting number is the average deviation from the mean. Calculate average deviationįinally, calculate the average deviation of your data set by dividing the previously calculated sum of all deviations by the total number of deviations that you added together. Since this is an absolute value operation, each value should be a positive number. Calculate the sum of all deviationsĪfter calculating the deviation from the mean for each value in the data set, you need to add them together.
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Since the direction of each variation is irrelevant when calculating the average deviation, all resulting numbers are positive. The absolute value of a number is its modulus or non-negative value. Calculate the difference between the previously calculated mean and each value in the data set and write down the absolute value of the resulting numbers. Calculate the deviation from the meanĪfter calculating the mean, you can calculate the deviation from the mean for each value in the data set. If the total number is even, divide it by two and make an average between the number in that position and the one in the next higher position. Then, if the total number is an odd one, divide it by two and round up to find the position of the median. Arrange all numbers in numerical order and count how many there are in total. You can do that by adding all the values in the data set and dividing the resulted sum by the total number of values.Īlternatively, you can calculate the median if you wish to use it instead of the mean. Related: A Guide to Statistics for Business How to calculate average deviationĬonsider these steps when calculating the average deviation of a data set: 1.
The average deviation of a data set is also called mean absolute deviation (MAD) or average absolute deviation.Īlthough when working with relatively small sets of data you can calculate average deviation manually, larger data sets typically require special software that performs the calculations for you after you input the initial data. It is a statistical tool for measuring the distance from a mean or median, with the mean being the average value of all numbers in the data set and the median being the exact middle number when we order the data set from lowest to the highest number. The average deviation of a data set is an average of all deviations from a set central point. In this article, we discuss what average deviation is, how to calculate it, as well as the differences between absolute and average deviation, mean average and average deviation from the mean and standard deviation versus average deviation. Knowing how to calculate the average deviation is a valuable skill, but it takes study and practice. Regardless of the exact nature of the compiled data, knowing its average deviation can help you interpret it. Calculating the average deviation can be an effective way to analyze the variability within a data set.