To find the median of a data set, the numbers need to be arranged in ascending order, and then the middle value is selected.

The numbers provided are:

88, 85, 83, 85, 88, 87, 79, 87, 86, 86.

Now, let’s arrange them in ascending order:

79, 83, 85, 85, 86, 86, 87, 87, 88, 88.

Since there are 10 numbers (an even number of data points), the median is the average of the two middle numbers. In this case, the two middle numbers are the 5th and 6th values, which are 86 and 86.

Thus, the median is:

$\text{Median} = \frac{86 + 86}{2} = 86.$

The median of this data set is 86.

Would you like more details or explanations? Here are some related questions:

1. How is the median different from the mean?
2. What happens if the number of data points is odd instead of even?
3. How can we calculate the mode for this data set?
4. How does the median resist the influence of extreme values compared to the mean?
5. What is the impact of adding more numbers on the median of a data set?

Tip: The median is a useful measure of central tendency, especially when dealing with skewed data, as it is not affected by extreme values.