Distribution

The distribution of a data set describes how its values are spread and where they cluster. It is shown by a dot-plot, histogram, or box-plot.

A distribution is described by its center (mean or median), its spread (range, interquartile-range, or mean-absolute-deviation), and its shape, for example whether it is symmetric or skewed, and whether it has outliers. The shape decides whether the mean or the median better describes a typical value.