Which of the following best defines the statistical term "mean"?

The term "mean" is best defined as the average. It represents a measure of central tendency calculated by adding together all the values in a dataset and then dividing by the number of values. This statistical concept is fundamental in data analysis because it provides a single value that summarizes the central location of a dataset, helping to understand the overall level of the data.

The other options refer to different statistical concepts. For example, the mode refers to the number that occurs most frequently, while the median, which is closely related to the concept of central tendency, is the middle value in an ordered dataset. The description of a value within an ordered set that has an equal number of values below and above it pertains to the median rather than the mean. This distinction is important to ensure that one can accurately apply these statistical terms in various contexts.