The term "q_1" typically refers to the first quartile in statistics, which is a measure used to describe the distribution of a dataset. It represents the value below which 25% of the data points fall. This means that if you were to arrange a set of numbers in ascending order, q_1 would be the point that separates the lowest 25% from the rest of the data. In a box plot, q_1 is visually represented as the left edge of the box, indicating the lower boundary of the interquartile range. Understanding q_1 is essential for analyzing data, as it helps identify the spread and central tendency of a dataset, providing insights into its overall distribution.