Center

Definition

The center refers to the middle or average value of a data set. It represents the typical or central value around which the data tends to cluster.

Analogy

Think of the center as the bullseye on a target. Just like how the bullseye is in the middle and represents where you want your arrows to hit, the center of a data set represents where most of the values tend to be.

Related terms

Mean: The mean is a measure of center that is calculated by adding up all the values in a data set and dividing by the number of values.

Median: The median is another measure of center that is found by arranging all values in order and selecting the middle value. If there are two middle values, then it's their average.

Mode: The mode is yet another measure of center that represents the most frequently occurring value(s) in a data set.