A measure of center, also known as a measure of central tendency, is a value that attempts to describe the central position of a set of data. There are several measures of center, including the mean, median, mode, and midrange/03%3A_Examining_the_Evidence_Using_Graphs_and_Statistics/3.01%3A_Measures_of_Center).

• Mean: The mean is the sum of all the values in a data set divided by the number of values. It is often referred to as the "average"/03%3A_Examining_the_Evidence_Using_Graphs_and_Statistics/3.01%3A_Measures_of_Center). The mean is a useful measure of center when the data is normally distributed and does not have any outliers.

• Median: The median is the middle value in a data set when the values are arranged in order. Half of the values are above the median and half are below it/03%3A_Examining_the_Evidence_Using_Graphs_and_Statistics/3.01%3A_Measures_of_Center). The median is a useful measure of center when the data is skewed or has outliers.

• Mode: The mode is the value that occurs most frequently in a data set/03%3A_Examining_the_Evidence_Using_Graphs_and_Statistics/3.01%3A_Measures_of_Center). The mode is not as commonly used as the mean or median as a measure of center, but it can be useful when the data has a clear peak.

• Midrange: The midrange is the average of the highest and lowest values in a data set. The midrange is not commonly used as a measure of center, but it can be useful when the data is limited and there are no outliers.

When choosing a measure of center, it is important to conside...