# mad() Function & Examples

Use the mad() statistics function in Calcul.io. Review its syntax, edit working examples, understand the result, and explore related math functions.

## mad

#### mad(a, b, c, ...)

#### mad(A)

Try it yourself:

```calculio
mad(10, 20, 30)
mad([1, 2, 3])
```

[mean](https://calcul.io/function/mean/index.md)

[median](https://calcul.io/function/median/index.md)

[std](https://calcul.io/function/std/index.md)

[abs](https://calcul.io/function/abs/index.md)

---

## mad(): Mean Absolute Deviation

**mad()** measures average distance from a central value using absolute deviations. It is a robust, interpretable summary of spread: small values mean observations cluster closely around the chosen center.

## Reading dispersion

Unlike variance, MAD does not square deviations, so extreme observations have less influence. It is useful for data quality checks and comparing consistency. Pair it with [mean()](https://calcul.io/function/mean/index.md) or [median()](https://calcul.io/function/median/index.md) according to the intended center.

Use [std()](https://calcul.io/function/std/index.md) for standard deviation, [abs()](https://calcul.io/function/abs/index.md) for individual deviations, and [size()](https://calcul.io/function/size/index.md) to ensure a data collection is nonempty. Missing values and units should be handled before analysis.

[All functions](https://calcul.io/functions/index.md)