The idea that if variation is caused by several random factors, they will generally cancel each other out and most measurements will be near the middle of the range of variation is called the _____.

A) standard deviation
B) 68-95-99.7 rule
C) central limit theorem
D) focal point process
E) normal distribution

The central limit theorem states that if the variation in a dataset is caused by several random factors, they will generally cancel each other out and most measurements will be near the middle of the range of variation. It is a fundamental concept in statistics and is used to model many natural phenomena, including the distribution of measurements in scientific experiments. The other options, such as standard deviation and normal distribution, are related but do not specifically address the idea of canceling out random factors.