In a data set, what does "mode" refer to?

In a data set, what does "mode" refer to?

• A. The middle value in an ordered set
• B. The highest value in the data set
• C. The most frequently occurring value
• D. The lowest value in the data set

Answer: (C)

The mode of a data set is defined as the value that appears most frequently within that set. It is a measure of central tendency, similar to the mean and median, but focuses specifically on the frequency of data points. For example, in the data set {1, 2, 2, 3, 4}, the mode is 2 because it occurs more times than any other number. This characteristic makes the mode particularly useful in understanding trends or patterns within the data, especially in categorical data where there may be no numerical average or where the average might not represent the distribution well. Hence, if a set of data is analyzed and one value stands out by its repeated appearance, that value is identified as the mode.

The mode of a data set is defined as the value that appears most frequently within that set. It is a measure of central tendency, similar to the mean and median, but focuses specifically on the frequency of data points. For example, in the data set {1, 2, 2, 3, 4}, the mode is 2 because it occurs more times than any other number.

This characteristic makes the mode particularly useful in understanding trends or patterns within the data, especially in categorical data where there may be no numerical average or where the average might not represent the distribution well. Hence, if a set of data is analyzed and one value stands out by its repeated appearance, that value is identified as the mode.