In this Grade 6 lesson from Reveal Math, Course 1 (Module 10), students learn how to calculate and interpret the mean absolute deviation (MAD) as a measure of variation in a data set. They practice finding the MAD by computing the mean, determining each value's absolute deviation from the mean, and averaging those distances. Students also compare MAD values across two data sets to draw conclusions about which set shows greater variability or consistency.
Section 1
Finding Absolute Deviation (The Distance)
Before calculating the Mean Absolute Deviation, you must understand absolute deviation. This is simply the distance between a single data value and the mean of the entire data set.
Because distance in the real world is always a positive number, you must use the absolute value of the difference:
Absolute Deviation = |Data Value - Mean|
Expand to review the lesson summary and core properties.
Section 1
Finding Absolute Deviation (The Distance)
Before calculating the Mean Absolute Deviation, you must understand absolute deviation. This is simply the distance between a single data value and the mean of the entire data set.
Because distance in the real world is always a positive number, you must use the absolute value of the difference:
Absolute Deviation = |Data Value - Mean|