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Find the mode

The mode is the value or category that occurs most often in a data set; finding it requires counting or reading frequencies in a list, tally table, picture graph, or bar graph and comparing those frequencies, rather than choosing the greatest value. Small whole-number or categorical data sets may have more than one mode when frequencies tie, while formal analysis of large, continuous, or multimodal distributions is beyond this understanding.

Detailed Explanation: Find the mode

The mode is the value or category that appears most often.

To find the mode:

  1. Count how many times each value appears.
  2. Compare the counts.
  3. The value with the greatest count is the mode.

Example:
A class records the color of each student’s backpack:

red, blue, green, blue, red, blue, yellow, red, blue\text{red, blue, green, blue, red, blue, yellow, red, blue}

Count each color:

  • Red: 33 times
  • Blue: 44 times
  • Green: 11 time
  • Yellow: 11 time

Blue has the greatest frequency because it appears 44 times.

The mode is blue.\boxed{\text{The mode is blue.}}

Remember, the mode is the value that occurs most often—not the greatest value.

Learn by doing: Find the mode

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Statistics - Solve for Mode


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