Question

The table shows the number of flowers sold by each sixth grade homeroom. Find the mean absolute deviation. Explain what the mean absolute deviation represents

Number of flower sold
75 89 80 145 85
60 92 104 90 100

Answer 1

The mean absolute deviation is calculated by first finding the mean of a data set, then finding the absolute deviations of each data point from the mean, and finally averaging these absolute values to understand the variability of the data.

Step-by-step explanation:

The mean absolute deviation (MAD) is a measure of variability that shows the average distance between each data point and the mean of the data set. To find the MAD, we first calculate the mean of the flower sales numbers: (75 + 89 + 80 + 145 + 85 + 60 + 92 + 104 + 90 + 100) / 10 = 92.

Next, we find the absolute deviation of each number from the mean, which is the absolute value of the differences: |75-92|, |89-92|, and so on, leading to a series of absolute values. We then calculate the mean of these absolute values to find the MAD.

The mean absolute deviation thus represents the average distance of all the numbers in our data set from their mean value, giving us an understanding of the spread or variability of the numbers around the mean.