The Mode is an average. The mode is the item that appears most often.
If there are two items with the same count, then the data is said to be bimodal, that is, it has two modes.
If all items have the same count, then there is no mode.
Modes can also be used for items where the values cannot be calculated: for example, the colour of cars in a car park. The most popular colour is the Modal colour.
A shoe shop has been taking an audit of the sizes of shoes on display. The sizes for ladies are as follows:
| Size | 4 | 4`frac(1)(2)` | 5 | 5`frac(1)(2)` | 6 | 6`frac(1)(2)` | 7 |
| Quantity | 4 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
Which is the modal size?
The size with the largest number of pairs of shoes is 5, with 7 pairs on display.
Answer: 5
Seven numbers are give: 4, 2, 5, 6, 4, 6, 7. What number needs to be removed to make the mode 6?
The numbers are bimodal: there are two 4s and two 6s. To make the mode 6, one of the 4s has to be removed.
Answer: 4