The average of the deviations, ,can never actually be computed.Why?
A)You cannot subtract the mean from every number in the sample.
B)When you subtract the mean from some numbers,you get negative numbers.
C)The sum of all deviations from the mean always equals zero.
D)The actual N is never truly known.

Question

The average of the deviations,  ,can never actually be computed.Why?
A)You cannot subtract the mean from every number in the sample. 
B)When you subtract the mean from some numbers,you get negative numbers. 
C)The sum of all deviations from the mean always equals zero. 
D)The actual N is never truly known.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The sum of all deviations from the mean always equals zero. Therefore, the average of the deviations will also always equal zero. This means that you cannot actually compute the average of the deviations in a meaningful way, as it will always be zero.

The Average of the Deviations, ,Can Never Actually Be