The mode is simply the number which most frequently occurs in the
data. Let’s look at an example of how to calculate the mode.
Example
Let’s
assume the following data represents the number of snags per acre in
20 proposed treatment areas.
1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 25, 25
Using this example we see that 6 snags per acre occurred more
frequently then any other result. Therefore the mode for our data
set would be equal to 6.
While the advantage of calculating the mode is obvious, there are
several disadvantages of using the mode to describe the central
tendency of your data. One of the disadvantages of calculating a
mode is that some data sets may have more then one mode. These sets
are typically called multi or bi-modal. It is not recommended that
you use only the mode to report the central tendencies of your data.
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