Mean Absolute Deviation for Kids: How Spread Out Is the Data? (Grade 6 Math)

Hi, I'm Luna from DoodleBeez. Today we are learning about mean absolute deviation. It is a long name for a simple idea. It tells us, on average, how far the data is from the mean.

Step one is to find the mean. Our data is three, five, nine and eleven. Add them up to get twenty eight. There are four numbers, so divide by four. The mean is seven.

Step two is to find how far each number is from seven. Three is four away. Five is two away. Nine is two away. Eleven is four away. Distances are never negative.

Step three is to find the mean of those distances. Four plus two plus two plus four is twelve. Twelve divided by four is three. So the mean absolute deviation is three.

What does it mean? A small mean absolute deviation means the data is bunched close to the mean. A big one means the data is spread far apart. It measures spread, not size.

Two sets both have a mean of seven. Set A is six, seven, seven and eight, with a mean absolute deviation of one half. Set B is two, five, nine and twelve, with three and one half. Set B is more spread out.

Now it's your turn. Find the mean absolute deviation of two, four, eight and ten. Pause and try. The mean is twenty four divided by four, which is six. The distances are four, two, two and four, so it is three.

Great job! Find the mean, find how far each number is from the mean, then find the mean of those distances. Bigger means more spread out. Practice mean absolute deviation in Middle School Math at doodlebeez.com. See you next time!