Question

Stefano calculated the mean absolute deviation for the data set 32, 4, 12, 40, 20, and 24. His work is shown below.

Step 1: Find the mean.

mean = StartFraction 32 + 4 + 12 + 40 + 20 + 24 Over 6 EndFraction = 22

Step 2: Find each absolute deviation.

10, 18, 10, 18, 2, 2

Step 3: Find the mean absolute deviation.

M A D = StartFraction 10 + 18 + 10 + 18 + 2 + 2 Over 4 EndFraction = 15

What is Stefano’s error?
A.Stefano should have divided by 5 when finding the mean.
B.Stefano found the absolute deviation of 20 incorrectly.
C.Stefano should have divided by 6 when finding the mean absolute deviation.
D.Stefano did not find the correct value for the mean.

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the mean absolute deviation, you find how far away each of the numbers are from the mean. Find the sum of these and divide by the same number of numbers. The MAD is 10. I think the correct answer is that Stefano should have divided by 6 when finding the mean absolute deviation.

Answer 2

Answer: (C) Stefano should have divided by 6 when finding the mean absolute deviation.

Step-by-step explanation: