Which of the following most accurately defines mode?

Which of the following most accurately defines mode?

• A. The average of the data
• B. The value that happens most frequently
• C. The difference between the highest and lowest values
• D. The slope of a line

Answer: (B)

Mode is the value that occurs most frequently in a data set. It is not the average, which is the mean; nor is it the range, which is the difference between the highest and lowest values; nor is it the slope, which describes rate of change in a line. To find it, look for the value that appears more often than any other. If no value repeats, there is no mode (or every value is equally a mode); if several values tie for the highest frequency, there are multiple modes. For example, in 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, the mode is 2 because it appears twice, more than any other number. This is exactly what the option describing “the value that happens most frequently” captures.

Mode is the value that occurs most frequently in a data set. It is not the average, which is the mean; nor is it the range, which is the difference between the highest and lowest values; nor is it the slope, which describes rate of change in a line. To find it, look for the value that appears more often than any other. If no value repeats, there is no mode (or every value is equally a mode); if several values tie for the highest frequency, there are multiple modes. For example, in 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, the mode is 2 because it appears twice, more than any other number. This is exactly what the option describing “the value that happens most frequently” captures.