What is the term for the average value calculated by adding all data points and dividing by the number of values?

What is the term for the average value calculated by adding all data points and dividing by the number of values?

• A. Median
• B. Mean
• C. Mode
• D. Range

Answer: (B)

The mean is the average value, found by adding all data points together and dividing by how many values there are. This definition exactly matches the action described in the question, so it’s the best fit. For example, with data points 2, 4, 6, and 8, the sum is 20 and there are 4 values, so the mean is 5. The other terms describe different ideas: 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. The mean is a common measure of central tendency, representing the balancing point of the data, but it can be influenced by extreme values.

The mean is the average value, found by adding all data points together and dividing by how many values there are. This definition exactly matches the action described in the question, so it’s the best fit. For example, with data points 2, 4, 6, and 8, the sum is 20 and there are 4 values, so the mean is 5.

The other terms describe different ideas: 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. The mean is a common measure of central tendency, representing the balancing point of the data, but it can be influenced by extreme values.