Define the term "mean" in statistics.

The term "mean" in statistics refers to the arithmetic average of a set of values. It is calculated by taking the sum of all the values in the data set and then dividing that sum by the total number of values. This measure provides a central tendency that reflects the overall level of the data, enabling comparisons across different data sets and insights about the distribution of values.

The other definitions do not represent the mean: the highest value in a data set refers to the maximum, while the difference between the highest and lowest values describes the range. The mode is the term used for the value that appears most frequently in a data set, which is distinctly different from the concept of mean. Understanding the mean is fundamental in statistics, as it serves as a key statistical measure used for data analysis.