What is the correct definition of the mean in statistical terms?

The mean is defined as the total of all values in a dataset divided by the number of values in that dataset. This statistical measure provides a central value or average, which is useful in summarizing a set of numbers with a single representative value. For example, if you have a dataset of test scores, you would add up all the scores and then divide that sum by the number of scores to find the mean score. This approach accurately represents the overall performance as it takes every value into consideration, balancing higher and lower values to find a central point.

The other definitions pertain to different statistical measures. The value that occurs most frequently refers to the mode, while the middle value of an ordered dataset is known as the median. Lastly, the difference between the highest and lowest values is referred to as the range. Understanding these distinctions is key to properly applying statistical concepts in various scenarios.