Which of the following best completes the sentence: The median is the $\mathrm{middle} \mathrm{value}$ of the data in a sorted array?

• A. $\mathrm{middle} \mathrm{value}$
• B. $\text{average of all values}$
• C. $\text{largest value}$
• D. $\text{smallest value}$

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the definition of the median: The median is the value that separates a data set into two equal halves when the data is arranged in order.
2. Recognize that to find the median, you first need to sort the data in ascending or descending order.
3. If the number of data points is odd, the median is the single middle value in the sorted list.
4. If the number of data points is even, the median is the average of the two middle values in the sorted list.
5. Therefore, the median represents the 'middle value' of the data in a sorted array.