What is described as the midpoint of a distribution?

The median is described as the midpoint of a distribution because it effectively divides the dataset into two equal halves. When a distribution is arranged in ascending order, the median is the value that separates the higher half from the lower half of the data points. If there is an odd number of observations, the median is simply the middle number. In cases where there is an even number of observations, the median is calculated by taking the average of the two central numbers.

The significance of the median becomes particularly evident in skewed distributions, where it provides a more accurate reflection of the central tendency compared to the mean, which can be heavily influenced by outliers. Therefore, in understanding the distribution of data, the median serves as a reliable measure of the central point, marking where half of the data values lie below and half lie above it.