To interpret the variability of the two datasets, we can calculate the mean absolute deviation (MAD) for each species. The MAD measures how much the values in a dataset deviate from the mean of that dataset.
Dataset for Species 1: {14, 18, 19, 22, 17}
- Calculate the mean: \[ \text{Mean} = \frac{14 + 18 + 19 + 22 + 17}{5} = \frac{90}{5} = 18 \]
- Calculate the absolute deviations from the mean:
- |14 - 18| = 4
- |18 - 18| = 0
- |19 - 18| = 1
- |22 - 18| = 4
- |17 - 18| = 1
- Calculate the mean absolute deviation: \[ \text{MAD} = \frac{4 + 0 + 1 + 4 + 1}{5} = \frac{10}{5} = 2 \]
Dataset for Species 2: {22, 19, 18, 24, 23}
- Calculate the mean: \[ \text{Mean} = \frac{22 + 19 + 18 + 24 + 23}{5} = \frac{106}{5} = 21.2 \]
- Calculate the absolute deviations from the mean:
- |22 - 21.2| = 0.8
- |19 - 21.2| = 2.2
- |18 - 21.2| = 3.2
- |24 - 21.2| = 2.8
- |23 - 21.2| = 1.8
- Calculate the mean absolute deviation: \[ \text{MAD} = \frac{0.8 + 2.2 + 3.2 + 2.8 + 1.8}{5} = \frac{10.8}{5} = 2.16 \]
Conclusion:
- Species 1 has a mean absolute deviation of 2.
- Species 2 has a mean absolute deviation of 2.16.
Since the mean absolute deviation for Species 2 (2.16) is higher than that for Species 1 (2), Species 2 is more variable. Therefore, the correct response is:
Species 2, because it has a higher mean absolute deviation.