Question

A jewelry stand sells 5 different pairs of earrings. The earrings sell for $12, $9, $6, $8, and $10.

What is the mean absolute deviation of the prices? Round to the nearest cent, if necessary.

$______

Answer 1

The answer is $1.6

Step 1. Find the mean of all values (X = ?).
Step 2. Find the distance of all values from the mean (d1, d2, d3, d4, d5).
Step 3. Find the mean of distances (D).

x1 = $12
x2 = $9
x3 = $6
X4 = $8
x5 = $10

Step 1.
X = (x1 + x2 + x3 + x4 + x5)/5
= (12 + 9 + 6 + 8 + 10)/5
= 45/5
= $9

Step 2.
d1 = 12 - 9 = 3
d2 = 9 - 9 = 0
d3 = 9 - 6 = 3
d4 = 9 - 8 = 1
d5 = 10 - 9 = 1

Step 3.
D = (d1 + d2 + d3 + d4 + d5)/5
= (3 + 0 + 3 + 1 + 1)/5
= 8/5
= $1.6