The process involves finding the average of the absolute differences between each data point and the mean of the data set. For instance, consider a data set: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. First, the mean is determined to be 6. Subsequently, the absolute deviations from the mean for each data point are calculated: |2-6|=4, |4-6|=2, |6-6|=0, |8-6|=2, |10-6|=4. Finally, the average of these absolute deviations is computed: (4+2+0+2+4)/5 = 2.4. This value represents the average distance of each data point from the center of the distribution.
This statistical measure offers a robust way to quantify the variability within a data set. Its utility lies in its resistance to the influence of extreme values, rendering it a more stable indicator of dispersion than the standard deviation in certain scenarios. Historically, this technique has been employed across various fields, including finance, meteorology, and quality control, to assess the spread of data and make informed decisions based on its distribution.