What does the MEDIAN function return?

The MEDIAN function returns the middle value in a set of numbers when they are arranged in ascending or descending order. It is particularly useful for understanding the central tendency of a data set, especially when there are outliers that could skew the average.

When using the MEDIAN function, if the number of values in the set is odd, it will return the exact middle number. If the number of values is even, it calculates the average of the two middle numbers. This characteristic makes the median a robust measure of central tendency because it is less affected by extremely high or low values compared to the mean, which is the sum of the values divided by the count.

In contrast to other statistical functions, the maximum value, average value, and mode do not encapsulate this middle value concept, reinforcing why the correct identification of the MEDIAN function is crucial for proper data analysis.