mode
1Origin of mode
1synonym study for mode
Words nearby mode
Other definitions for mode (2 of 2)
Origin of mode
2MODE VS. MEDIAN VS. MEAN VS. AVERAGE
What’s the difference between mode, median, mean, and average?
In the context of mathematics and statistics, the mode of a set of values is the most frequently repeated value in the set. In contrast, the median is the middle number in a set of values when those values are arranged from smallest to largest. The word mean refers to what’s informally called the average—the sum of a set of values divided by the number of values.
The word average is of course also very commonly used in more general ways. In math, though, it’s helpful to use more specific terms when determining the most representative or common value in a set of numbers.
To illustrate the difference, let’s look at an example set of seven values: 2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9.
The mode is simply the value that shows up the most. In the example set, the mode is 3, since it occurs twice and all the other values occur only once.
To get the mean of this set, you’d add up all the values (2+3+3+4+6+8+9=35) and then divide that total by the number of values (7), resulting in a mean of 5. This is what most people are referring to when they refer to the average of some set of numbers.
To find the median, you have to find the one that’s sequentially in the middle. In a set of seven numbers arranged in increasing value, the median is the fourth number (since there are three before and three after). In this set (2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9), the median is 4. When a set has an even number of values, the median is the mean of the two middle values.
Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between mode, median, mean, and average.
Quiz yourself on mode vs. median vs. mean vs. average!
Should mode, median, mean, or average be used in the following sentence?
The most frequently repeated test score is 80, so it’s the _____ of the set.
How to use mode in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for mode
Word Origin for mode
Medical definitions for mode
Scientific definitions for mode
Cultural definitions for mode
In statistics, the most frequently appearing value in a set of numbers or data points. In the numbers 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 4, 9, 6, 8, and 6, the mode is 6, because it appears more often than any of the other figures. (See average; compare mean and median.)