Which of the following measures doesn't provide the average of a data set?

The measure that does not provide the average of a data set is variation. Variation refers to the degree of spread or dispersion of a set of values, essentially measuring how far the data points are from one another. It is focused on the differences within the data rather than a single representative value.

In contrast, mean, median, and mode are all measures of central tendency, which are specifically used to determine the 'average' or typical value of a data set. The mean is calculated by summing all values and dividing by the number of values, while the median identifies the middle value when data is organized in ascending or descending order, and the mode is the value that appears most frequently.

Understanding these distinctions is important in data analysis, as it helps identify the nature of the data being examined and the appropriate statistical measures to employ.