What does the median represent in a data set?

The median represents the middle term of a data set when the numbers are arranged in order from least to greatest. To find the median, you sort the values and locate the central number. If there is an odd number of values, the median is the single middle value. In cases where there is an even number of values, the median is found by taking the average of the two middle numbers. This characteristic of the median makes it particularly useful for understanding the central tendency of a data set, especially when the data may contain outliers or skewed distributions that could skew other measures such as the mean.

The other options refer to different statistics. The most frequently occurring number describes the mode, the difference between the largest and smallest numbers indicates the range, and the average of all numbers points to the mean. Each of these options has its own specific definition and application in statistics, but they do not accurately describe the median.