 |
| Merits and Demerits of Mean Deviation |
 |
| Merits: |
| |
Mean deviation is easy to calculate. This measure is simple to |
| |
| understand. |
| |
This can be calculated from any average. |
| |
Its value is based upon all the (observations) items of the data. |
| |
It is less affected by extreme observations. |
| |
It gives us an idea about how the items are situated in the distribution. |
| |
| Demerits: |
| |
This is mathematically incomplete because it ignores negative signs. |
| |
As it can be calculated from any average, it does not have certainty (i.e., it is not a well defined measure). |
| |
Its use is very limited in statistical work. |
| |