What does the median provide in terms of data characteristics?

The median provides a position of centrality in a data set by representing the middle value when the data is organized in ascending or descending order. This means that half of the values in the data set are greater than the median, and half are less. The median is particularly useful in describing the central tendency of a data set, especially when there are outliers that could skew the data. Unlike the mean, which can be affected by extremely high or low values, the median offers a more robust measure of centrality that is not influenced by those outliers. Thus, it serves as a key concept in statistics and data analysis, helping to summarize and convey the overall trend of the data effectively.