Calculating the mean absolute deviation (MAD)

The  exercise appears under the 6th grade (U.S.) Math Mission. This exercise calculates the mean absolute deviation (MAD) of a data set.

Types of Problems
There is one type of problem in this exercise:


 * 1) Find the mean absolute deviation of the data set: This problem has a collection of data and a command to find the spread of the data set. The student is asked to calculate the mean absolute deviation and write it in the space provided.Ctmad1.png

Strategies
Knowledge of statistical vocabulary and the ability to do basic statistical calculations are encouraged to ensure success on this exercise.
 * 1) The mean absolute deviation is not a common measure of spread, and thus is not easily found by calculator.
 * 2) To find the mean absolute deviation, find the mean of the data set, find how far each data value is from the mean, and then find the average of those deviations.
 * 3) The numbers tend to work out nicely on this exercise, and this can be used to increase efficiency.
 * 4) Data can be provided in charts or in dot plots.

Real-life Applications

 * 1) Data and statistics appear in news reports and in the media every day.
 * 2) Many of the problems in this exercise could be viewed as real-life applications.
 * 3) Statistics can be seen more frequently than calculus in every day life.