Using the data below, what is the value of MSE?

Week1, Actual=7, Forecast=7.00
Week2, Actual=15, Forecast=13.00
Week3, Actual=14, Forecast=17.00
Week4, Actual=13, Forecast=18.00

1 answer

To calculate the Mean Squared Error (MSE), we first need to determine the squared errors for each week. The squared error is calculated as:

\[ \text{Squared Error} = (\text{Actual} - \text{Forecast})^2 \]

Let's calculate the squared errors for each week:

  1. Week 1:

    • Actual = 7, Forecast = 7.00
    • Squared Error = (7 - 7.00)² = 0² = 0
  2. Week 2:

    • Actual = 15, Forecast = 13.00
    • Squared Error = (15 - 13.00)² = 2² = 4
  3. Week 3:

    • Actual = 14, Forecast = 17.00
    • Squared Error = (14 - 17.00)² = (-3)² = 9
  4. Week 4:

    • Actual = 13, Forecast = 18.00
    • Squared Error = (13 - 18.00)² = (-5)² = 25

Now we sum the squared errors:

\[ \text{Total Squared Errors} = 0 + 4 + 9 + 25 = 38 \]

Next, we calculate the MSE by dividing the total squared errors by the number of observations (weeks):

\[ \text{MSE} = \frac{\text{Total Squared Errors}}{\text{Number of Observations}} = \frac{38}{4} = 9.5 \]

Thus, the value of the Mean Squared Error (MSE) is 9.5.