A box plot is a graphical representation used to display the distribution of a dataset. It summarizes key statistics, including the median, quartiles, and potential outliers. The central box represents the interquartile range (IQR), which contains the middle 50% of the data, while the lines extending from the box, called "whiskers," indicate the range of the data. Box plots are useful for comparing multiple datasets side by side. They allow for quick visual assessment of the spread and symmetry of the data, making it easier to identify trends and anomalies. This tool is commonly used in statistics and data analysis.