Which option is primarily used to find the average of a data set?

The mean is the term used to describe the average of a data set. It is calculated by adding all the values in the set together and then dividing that total by the number of values. This method provides a central value that summarizes the entire data set, making it useful for understanding the overall trend or performance indicated by the data.

In contrast, the mode refers to the most frequently occurring value in the data set, which may not provide a central tendency if there are multiple modes or no repeats. The median represents the middle value when a data set is ordered from least to greatest, which can be useful in skewed distributions but does not reflect the average when considering all values. Lastly, the range measures the difference between the highest and lowest values, providing insight into the spread of the data rather than its average. Thus, the mean is the appropriate choice when specifically seeking to find the average value of a data set.