What is the correct term for the average of a set of numbers?

The average of a set of numbers is referred to as the mean. This is calculated by adding all the values in the set together and then dividing the sum by the total number of values. For example, if you have the numbers 2, 3, and 5, you would add these together to get 10, and then divide by the number of values (which is 3) to find the mean, which would be approximately 3.33.

Understanding the mean is essential in statistics as it provides a measure of central tendency, allowing for a general understanding of the data set. It takes into account all values in the set, making it a comprehensive measure. In contrast, the median is the middle value when data is sorted, the mode is the value that appears most frequently, and the range is the difference between the highest and lowest values. Each of these terms represents different concepts in statistical analysis, but the mean specifically denotes the arithmetic average.