How to Find Mode in Measures of Central Tendency

MODE IN MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY

In measures of central tendency, “mode” refers to the value that appears most frequently in a dataset. Unlike mean and median, which focus on the average and middle value respectively, mode highlights the most common occurrence. It’s particularly useful in categorical data or when dealing with data where certain values occur with higher frequency than others. For example, in the dataset {1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5}, the mode is 4 because it appears more frequently than any other number. In some cases, a dataset may have multiple modes (bimodal, trimodal, etc.) if two or more values occur with the same highest frequency.

In an individual series (also known as raw data series), where each observation is unique, finding the mode is straightforward. You simply identify the value that occurs most frequently in the dataset.

Here’s how to find the mode in an individual series:

1. Count Frequencies: Count the frequency (number of occurrences) of each distinct value in the dataset.
2. Identify the Mode: The mode is the value that appears with the highest frequency.

Let’s go through an example:

Suppose you have the following individual series: 5,7,9,7,2,4,7,5,9,3,7,55, 7, 9, 7, 2, 4, 7, 5, 9, 3, 7, 55,7,9,7,2,4,7,5,9,3,7,5

1. Count the frequency of each distinct value:

• Value 2 occurs once.
• Value 3 occurs once.
• Value 4 occurs once.
• Value 5 occurs three times.
• Value 7 occurs four times.
• Value 9 occurs twice.

2. Identify the mode: The value that occurs with the highest frequency is 7 (which occurs four times), so the mode of this dataset is 7.

So, in this example, the mode is 7.

To find the mode in a discrete series (a set of data with distinct values), you can follow these steps:

1. Organize Data: Arrange your data in ascending or descending order to make it easier to identify repeated values.
2. Count Frequencies: Count the frequency (number of times each value appears) for each distinct value in the dataset.
3. Identify the Mode: The mode is the value that occurs with the highest frequency. It’s the value that appears most frequently in the dataset.

Here’s a step-by-step example:

Let’s say you have the following dataset: 3,4,5,5,6,6,6,7,8,8,8,83, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7, 8, 8, 8, 83,4,5,5,6,6,6,7,8,8,8,8

1. Organize the data in ascending order: 3,4,5,5,6,6,6,7,8,8,8,83, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7, 8, 8, 8, 83,4,5,5,6,6,6,7,8,8,8,8
2. Count the frequency of each distinct value: 3:1,4:1,5:2,6:3,7:1,8:43: 1, 4: 1, 5: 2, 6: 3, 7: 1, 8: 43:1,4:1,5:2,6:3,7:1,8:4
3. Identify the mode: The value with the highest frequency is 8, which appears 4 times. So, the mode of this dataset is 8.

If there are multiple values with the same highest frequency, then the dataset is said to be multimodal, and it has multiple modes. If all values occur with the same frequency, then the dataset is said to be uniform or there is no mode.

In continuous series (where data is presented as intervals or ranges rather than individual values), finding the mode involves determining the interval with the highest frequency density.

Here’s how you can find the mode in a continuous series:

1. Group Data: If not already grouped, create intervals or classes for the continuous data. Each interval should be mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive, covering the entire range of the data.
2. Count Frequencies: Count the frequency of data points falling within each interval.
3. Identify the Modal Interval: Determine which interval has the highest frequency density. Frequency density is calculated by dividing the frequency of each interval by its width (the difference between the upper and lower limits of the interval).
4. Estimate Mode: Once you’ve identified the modal interval, you can estimate the mode within that interval. This is usually done by assuming a uniform distribution within the interval and finding the midpoint of the modal interval.

Here the formula to calculate Mode in practical form . kindly check the link for this :

Thanks