Mode

Definition

The mode is the value that appears most frequently in a data set. If no value repeats, the data set has no mode.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The mode can be used with nominal data, unlike the mean and median.
2. A data set can have more than one mode if multiple values appear with the same highest frequency (bimodal or multimodal).
3. In a perfectly symmetrical distribution, the mode, mean, and median are all equal.
4. The mode is not affected by extreme values (outliers) in the data set.
5. When comparing data sets, the mode is useful for identifying common categories or outcomes.

Review Questions

• What is the mode of this data set: [2, 3, 4, 4, 5]?
• Can a data set have more than one mode? Provide an example.
• Explain why the mode is particularly useful when dealing with nominal data.

Related terms

Mean:

The average of a set of numbers, calculated by adding them together and dividing by the number of values.

Median:

The middle value in a list of numbers sorted in ascending or descending order. If there is an even number of observations, it is the average of the two middle numbers.

Range:

The difference between the highest and lowest values in a data set.