Idea 2of 22Builds onOne number for a whole group
The mode: the value that appears most
Which value shows up most often?
Today you'll discover
- how to spot it on a line plot
- why it is a value, not a count
Think firstBooks read: 2, 3, 3, 4, 8
Which number of books appears most often in this data?
Decide first, then press Next. Find the tallest column of dots.
A line plot of books read: dots above 2, 3, 3, 4 and 8. A box rings the column of two dots above 3, labelled mode 3. Then goals in seven games, with the column of three dots above 2 ringed. The last step shows pets in nine homes.
See the whole ideathe big idea and the key word, in one place
The big idea
The mode is the value that appears most often: the tallest column on a line plot.
Easy to get wrongIn 0, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 4 the value 2 appears 3 times. The mode is 2, not 3: the value, not how many times.
Without a plotIn a list, count how many times each value appears. 5, 7, 5, 9, 5, 7: 5 appears three times, so the mode is 5.
Key word
- mode
- the value that appears most often in a data set
Ready to use it?
- Find the mode of a data set or a line plot.