When analyzing data for the square footage of single-family homes, Bridget uses a ______ to provide a single number that represents all of the houses in the sample.

The term that accurately describes what Bridget uses to provide a single number representing all of the houses in the sample is the measure of central tendency. This concept encompasses various statistical measures that summarize and provide insight into the typical value within a dataset. Common measures of central tendency include the mean, median, and mode.

While the mean and median are both specific types of measures of central tendency, using the broader term captures all approaches that can offer a representative value, conveying the essence of what Bridget is aiming to achieve in analyzing the square footage data of single-family homes. It is important to understand that the measure of central tendency helps in summarizing large sets of data into digestible numerical figures for analysis, which can be particularly useful when making comparisons or assessments in the real estate market.