moments (mathematics)

In mathematics, "moments" refer to specific quantitative measures that capture different aspects of a dataset. The first moment is the average or mean, showing the central value. Higher moments describe the shape of the distribution: the second moment measures variability or spread (variance), the third moment indicates skewness (the asymmetry of the distribution), and the fourth moment relates to kurtosis (the "tailedness" of the distribution). Moments help us understand not just the average of data but also how it's spread and shaped, providing deeper insights into patterns and trends.