In data interpretation, the mean is defined as which of the following?

In data interpretation, the mean is defined as which of the following?

• A. The median
• B. The sum of values divided by the number of values
• C. The mode
• D. The range

Answer: (B)

The mean, or average, is the sum of all values divided by how many values there are. This value represents the central tendency by taking every data point into account, so every number influences the result. In practice, the mean uses all observations, which means very large or very small values can pull it toward them. Different from this, the median is the middle value when the data are ordered, the mode is the value that occurs most often, and the range is the difference between the largest and smallest values, which measures spread rather than central position. For example, with numbers 1, 2, 3, 100, the mean is (1+2+3+100)/4 = 26.5, the median is 2.5, and the range is 99.

The mean, or average, is the sum of all values divided by how many values there are. This value represents the central tendency by taking every data point into account, so every number influences the result. In practice, the mean uses all observations, which means very large or very small values can pull it toward them. Different from this, the median is the middle value when the data are ordered, the mode is the value that occurs most often, and the range is the difference between the largest and smallest values, which measures spread rather than central position. For example, with numbers 1, 2, 3, 100, the mean is (1+2+3+100)/4 = 26.5, the median is 2.5, and the range is 99.