Idea 4of 22Builds onThe mode: the value that appears most
The mode works for words
What is typical when the answers are words?
Today you'll discover
- how a tally finds the most common answer
- why words have no mean or median
Think firstOur class's favourite snacks
What is the typical favourite snack in this class?
Decide first, then press Next. Count the tally marks in each row.
A tally table of favourite snacks: apples, popcorn, carrots and crackers, each with bundles of tally marks. Then the counts 7, 11, 4 and 6, then a bar for each, then popcorn's row ringed as the mode, with the sentence: words can't be added or put in number order, only the mode works. The last step shows car colours.
See the whole ideathe big idea and the key word, in one place
The big idea
When the data are words, the mode is the only measure: the answer given most often.
Words or numbersFavourite snacks, car colours and pets' names are words: only a mode. Heights, scores and ages are numbers: mode, median and mean.
Easy to get wrongThe middle row of a tally is not a median. The rows could be listed in any order.
Key word
- categorical data
- data whose values are words or groups, like colours or favourite snacks, not numbers
Ready to use it?
- Find the most common answer in a tally of words.