Mean Absolute Deviation Calculator
Calculate MAD to measure the average distance from a central point
Calculate Mean Absolute Deviation
Enter numerical values one by one. New fields will appear automatically up to 50 values.
Enter Some Data Values
Please enter at least one numerical value to calculate the Mean Absolute Deviation.
Example: Lost Socks Analysis
Data: Lost Socks per Person
Mean: (3 + 17 + 9 + 7 + 13 + 11) ÷ 6 = 10 socks
MAD Calculation Steps
1. Deviations from mean (10): -7, 7, -1, -3, 3, 1
2. Absolute deviations: 7, 7, 1, 3, 3, 1
3. Sum of absolute deviations: 7 + 7 + 1 + 3 + 3 + 1 = 22
4. MAD: 22 ÷ 6 = 3.67 socks
Interpretation
On average, each person's sock loss differs from the mean by 3.67 socks. This means most friends lost between 6.33 and 13.67 socks (10 ± 3.67).
Central Point Options
MAD Interpretation
Quick Tips
MAD measures average distance from central point
Lower MAD means data is more consistent
MAD is less sensitive to outliers than standard deviation
Use custom central point for specific analysis needs
Understanding Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD)
What is MAD?
Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD) measures how spread out data points are from a central value. It calculates the average of the absolute differences between each data point and the central point, giving you a clear picture of data variability.
Why Use MAD?
- •Easy to understand and interpret
- •Less sensitive to outliers than standard deviation
- •Measures dispersion in original units
- •Useful for robust statistical analysis
MAD Formula
- MAD: Mean Absolute Deviation
- n: Number of data points
- xi: Each individual data point
- m: Central point (mean, median, or custom)
- |xi - m|: Absolute deviation of each point
Key Insight: MAD represents the average distance that data points deviate from the central value, making it intuitive to interpret.