Mode Definition: a plain-English explanation of what the term means, why it matters in math, and how it is used, followed by worked examples and practice questions so the definition turns into something you can apply.
Math Dictionary / Mode
Mode
The mode is the value that appears most often in a data set. A set can have more than one mode, or none at all, and unlike the mean and median it works on categories as well as on numbers.
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What it means
A data set can have one mode, more than one mode, or no mode.
Also called: most common value
Examples
| In 2, 3, 3, 5, the mode is 3 |
| A set can have two modes |
| If every value appears once, there may be no mode |
Common mistake
Do not confuse mode with median. Mode is most frequent; median is middle.
Try one
Question: Find the mode of 4, 7, 7, 8, 9.
Show answer
7.