A sample of the personnel files of eight male employees revealed that, during a six-month period, they lost the following number of days due to illness: 2, 0, 6, 3, 10, 4, 1 and 2. What is the mean deviation (in days)?
A) 1
B) 0
C) 3 1/8
D) 2 3/8

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

First, we need to find the mean of the given data, which is:

mean = (2+0+6+3+10+4+1+2) / 8
     = 28 / 8
     = 3.5

Next, we need to find the deviation of each data point from the mean:

2 - 3.5 = -1.5
0 - 3.5 = -3.5
6 - 3.5 = 2.5
3 - 3.5 = -0.5
10 - 3.5 = 6.5
4 - 3.5 = 0.5
1 - 3.5 = -2.5
2 - 3.5 = -1.5

To find the mean deviation, we need to add up the absolute values of these deviations and divide by the total number of data points:

mean deviation = (1.5 + 3.5 + 2.5 + 0.5 + 6.5 + 0.5 + 2.5 + 1.5) / 8
              = 18 / 8
              = 2.25

Therefore, the closest choice is D, 2 3/8.

A Sample of the Personnel Files of Eight Male Employees