1. What is Percent Average Deviation?

The Percent Average Deviation (PAD) is a statistical measure that expresses the Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD) as a percentage of the mean. It provides a relative measure of variability that can be compared across different datasets.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the PAD formula:

Where:

• \( MAD \) — Mean Absolute Deviation
• \( mean \) — Mean of the dataset

Explanation: The formula shows the average deviation as a percentage of the mean value, allowing for comparison between datasets with different scales.

3. Importance of PAD Calculation

Details: PAD is useful for understanding the relative variability in a dataset. It's particularly valuable when comparing variability between datasets with different means or units of measurement.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the Mean Absolute Deviation and the Mean value. Both values must be positive numbers (mean cannot be zero).

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between PAD and coefficient of variation?
A: PAD uses Mean Absolute Deviation while coefficient of variation uses standard deviation. PAD is less sensitive to outliers.

Q2: What are typical PAD values?
A: Lower PAD values indicate less variability. There's no universal threshold, but <10% is often considered low variability.

Q3: When should I use PAD instead of standard deviation?
A: Use PAD when you want a relative measure that's robust to outliers and comparable across different scales.

Q4: Can PAD be greater than 100%?
A: Yes, if the MAD is greater than the mean, PAD will exceed 100%, indicating high variability.

Q5: What are limitations of PAD?
A: PAD can be misleading with very small means and doesn't provide information about the shape of the distribution.