What is Mean Absolute Error?

What is Absolute Error?

Absolute Error is the amount of error in your measurements.

• It is the difference between the measured value and the “true” value.

• For example, if a scale states 90 pounds, but you know your true weight is 89 pounds, then the scale has an absolute error of 90 lbs – 89 lbs = 1 lbs.

Mean Absolute Error

The Mean Absolute Error(MAE) is the average of all absolute errors.

Formula:

Where,

• n = the number of errors

• Σ = summation symbol (which means “add them all up”)

• |xi – x| = the absolute errors

• The formula may look a little daunting, but the steps are easy:

1. Find all of your absolute errors

2. xi – x. Add them all up

3. Divide by the number of errors