Find the mean deviation of these numbers 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 19.
Answer Details
To find the mean deviation of a set of numbers, we first find the mean (average) of the numbers. The mean of the numbers 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, and 19 is:
(mean) = (10 + 12 + 14 + 15 + 17 + 19) / 6 = 87 / 6 = 14.5
Next, we find the deviation of each number from the mean by subtracting the mean from each number:
10 - 14.5 = -4.5
12 - 14.5 = -2.5
14 - 14.5 = -0.5
15 - 14.5 = 0.5
17 - 14.5 = 2.5
19 - 14.5 = 4.5
We take the absolute value of each deviation to ensure that they are all positive:
|-4.5| = 4.5
|-2.5| = 2.5
|-0.5| = 0.5
|0.5| = 0.5
|2.5| = 2.5
|4.5| = 4.5
Then we find the mean of the absolute deviations:
(mean deviation) = (4.5 + 2.5 + 0.5 + 0.5 + 2.5 + 4.5) / 6 = 2.5
Therefore, the mean deviation of the numbers is 2.5. Therefore, the correct option is (a) 2.5.