What figure represents the central tendency of a data set?

The concept of central tendency refers to the statistical measures that summarize a set of data by identifying the central point within that set. The mean, median, and mode are all different ways to describe this central point.

The mean is the average value of a data set, calculated by adding all the numbers and dividing by the count of numbers. The median is the middle value when the data is arranged in ascending or descending order, giving a good indication of the center that is not affected by extremely high or low values. The mode is the value that appears most frequently in a data set and helps to identify the most common value.

Together, these three measures provide a comprehensive understanding of the center of a data distribution, making them the critical figures for measuring central tendency. Other options like the standard deviation, range, and quartiles serve different purposes. The standard deviation measures the spread or variability of the data, the range assesses the difference between the highest and lowest values, and quartiles divide the data into four parts, providing information about the distribution but not directly about the center. Thus, the mean, median, and mode distinctly represent the concept of central tendency.