(10.16) To calculate the mean deviation about the median,we first construct the frequency distribution table:
| Class | Freq $(f_i)$ | $c.f.$ | Mid-point $(x_i)$ | $|x_i - M|$ | $f_i |x_i - M|$ |
| $0-10$ | $6$ | $6$ | $5$ | $23$ | $138$ |
| $10-20$ | $7$ | $13$ | $15$ | $13$ | $91$ |
| $20-30$ | $15$ | $28$ | $25$ | $3$ | $45$ |
| $30-40$ | $16$ | $44$ | $35$ | $7$ | $112$ |
| $40-50$ | $4$ | $48$ | $45$ | $17$ | $68$ |
| $50-60$ | $2$ | $50$ | $55$ | $27$ | $54$ |
| Total | $N=50$ | - | - | - | $508$ |
Here,$N = 50$,so $\frac{N}{2} = 25$. The cumulative frequency just greater than $25$ is $28$,which corresponds to the class $20-30$.
Thus,the median class is $20-30$.
Using the formula for median: $M = l + \frac{\frac{N}{2} - C}{f} \times h$
Where $l = 20, C = 13, f = 15, h = 10$.
$M = 20 + \frac{25 - 13}{15} \times 10 = 20 + \frac{120}{15} = 20 + 8 = 28$.
Mean deviation about median $= \frac{1}{N} \sum f_i |x_i - M| = \frac{508}{50} = 10.16$.