What is the mean in a dataset?

The mean in a dataset is defined as the sum of all the values divided by the number of values in that dataset. This calculation provides a central value that represents the average of the data. The mean is a fundamental measure of central tendency used in statistics, as it takes into account all the values and gives an overall indication of where the center of the data lies.

In contrast, other concepts in the context of this question reference different measures: the most frequently occurring value describes the mode; the range refers to the difference between the maximum and minimum values; and the value that separates the higher half from the lower half refers to the median. Each of these has its unique use and application, but only the mean is calculated through the sum of values divided by their count, making the selected answer the correct definition of the mean.