In the following data set, which value is the mode: 6, 5, 8, 3, 7, 8, 9, 8, 4?

In the following data set, which value is the mode: 6, 5, 8, 3, 7, 8, 9, 8, 4?

• A. Mean
• B. Median
• C. Range
• D. Mode

Answer: (D)

The mode is the value that appears most often in a data set. In this list, most numbers appear once, but the number 8 shows up three times. Because 8 occurs more frequently than any other value, it is the mode. The mean would be the average of all numbers, the median the middle value when sorted, and the range the difference between the largest and smallest values; these describe different properties of the data and do not identify the most frequent value here.

The mode is the value that appears most often in a data set. In this list, most numbers appear once, but the number 8 shows up three times. Because 8 occurs more frequently than any other value, it is the mode. The mean would be the average of all numbers, the median the middle value when sorted, and the range the difference between the largest and smallest values; these describe different properties of the data and do not identify the most frequent value here.