Mode

Mode
Mode is the most typical or fashionable value
of the series
It is the most common item of a series
It is generally the value which occurs the
largest number of times in a series, that is, the
value with the highest frequency.

X 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
f 2 3 9 15 11 8 7 3 3

Mode
Mode is the most typical or fashionable value
of the series
It is the most common item of a series
It is generally the value which occurs the
largest number of times in a series, that is, the
value with the highest frequency.

X 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
f 2 3 9 15 11 8 7 3 3

Mode
The mode of a distribution is the value at the
point around which the items tend to be most
heavily concentrated

X 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
f 2 3 9 15 11 8 7 15 3

Mode
The mode of a distribution is the value at the
point around which the items tend to be most
heavily concentrated

X 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
f 2 3 9 15 11 8 7 15 3

Mode
The mode of a distribution is the value at the
point around which the items tend to be most
heavily concentrated

X 1 2 3 4 5 6
f 2 3 9 15 11 8

7 8 9
7 15 3

Mode
At times mode may not necessarily be the
value which occurs the largest number of
times in a series, as, in some cases, the point
of maximum concentration may be around
some other value.

X 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
f 2 3 9 14 11 8 7 15 3

Mode
At times mode may not necessarily be the
value which occurs the largest number of
times in a series, as, in some cases, the point
of maximum concentration may be around
some other value.

X 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
f 2 3 9 14 11 8 7 15 3

Mode
At times mode may not necessarily be the
value which occurs the largest number of
times in a series, as, in some cases, the point
of maximum concentration may be around
some other value.

X 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
f 2 3 9 14 11 8 7 15 3

Mode
At times mode may not necessarily be the
value which occurs the largest number of
times in a series, as, in some cases, the point
of maximum concentration may be around
some other value.

X 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
f 2 3 9 14 11 8 7 15 3

Mode
In some cases there may be more than one
points of concentration of values and the
series may be bi-modal or multi-modal.

X 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
f 2 3 9 15 11 15 9 3 2

Mode: Calculation (Discrete Series)

Visual inspection
Grouping method

Mode: Calculation
Visual Inspection: The value with highest
frequency is the mode

Grouping Method
This method is adopted when a series is either
bi-modal or multi-modal, or if high
frequencies are concentrated around more
than one item
This method helps in identifying the point of
maximum concentration.

25 50
30 70
35 80
40 180
45 150
50 120
55 70
60 50

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

Grouping
X

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's
(2)
120

260
270

120

Grouping
X

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's
(2)
120

260
270

120

Grouping
X

2's
(2) (3)

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

120
150

260
330
270
190

120

Grouping
X

2's
(2) (3)

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

120
150

260
330
270
190

120

Grouping
X

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

(2) (3) (4)

120
150

200

260
330
270
190

120

450

Grouping
X

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

(2) (3) (4)

120
150

200

260
330
270
190

120

450

Grouping
X

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

(2) (3) (4) (5)

120
150

200
330

260
330
270
190

120

450
340

Grouping
X

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

(2) (3) (4) (5)

120
150

200
330

260
330
270
190

120

450
340

Grouping
X

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

(2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

120
150

200
330

260
330
270
190

120

410

450
340
240

Grouping
X

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

(2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

120
150

200
330

260
330
270
190

120

410

450
340
240

Grouping
X

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

4's

(2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

120
150

200
330

260
330
270
190

120

380
410

450
340
240

390

Grouping
X

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

4's

(2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

120
150

200
330

260
330
270
190

120

380
410

450
340
240

390

Grouping
X

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

4's

(2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

120
150

200
330

260
330
270
190

120

380
410

450
340
240

390

Grouping
X
25
30
35
1 40
45
50
55
60

f
(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

4's

(2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

120
150

200
330

260
330

270
190
120

380
410

450
340

240

390

Grouping
X
25
30
35
1 40
1 45
1 50
55
60

f
(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

4's

(2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

120
150

200
330

260
330

270
190
120

380
410

450
340

240

390

Grouping
X
25
30
35
2 40
2 45
1 50
55
60

f
(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

4's

(2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

120
150

200
330

260
330

270
190
120

380
410

450
340

240

390

Grouping
X
25
30
35
3 40
3 45
2 50
55
60

f
(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

4's

(2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

120
150

200

330

270
190
120

380

330

260

(7)

410
450
340

240

390

Grouping

3
4
3
1

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

4's

(2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

120
150

200
330

260
330

270
190
120

380
410

450
340

240

390

Grouping

1
4
5
3
1

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

4's

(2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

120
150

200

330

270
190
120

380

330

260

(7)

410
450
340

240

390

Grouping

1
4
6
4
2
1

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

4's

(2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

120
150

200

330

270
190
120

380

330

260

(7)

410
450
340

240

390

Grouping

1
4
6
4
2
1

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

4's

(2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

120
150

200

330

270
190
120

380

330

260

(7)

410
450
340

240

390

Grouping

1
4
6
4
2
1

25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60

(1)
50
70
80
180
150
120
70
50

2's

3s

4's

(2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

120
150

200

330

270
190
120

380

330

260

(7)

410
450
340

240

390

Grouping Method
a. Arrange the values in ascending (or descending)
order.
b. Add frequencies in twos.
c. Add frequencies in threes.
d. If necessary, add frequencies in fours and fives
also.
e. The size of items containing the maximum
frequencies in each case are noted down.
f. The item that has the maximum frequency the
largest number of times is called the mode.

Grouping Method
Can be helpful in locating the modal class in a
continuous series.

32

33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41

11
27
25
32
31
13
11
33
13

Mode: Continuous Series

L1 = lower limit of modal class,
f0 = frequency of the class preceding modal
class,
f1 = frequency of the modal class,
f2 = frequency of the class succeeding modal
class,
i = class interval

Class

0-5

5-10
10-15
15-20
20-25
25-30
30-35
35-40

7
9
18
16
15
6
3

Class (1) (2)

0-5 5
12
5-10 7
I=1 10-15 9
27
I I I I=4 15-20 18
I I I I I I=6 20-25 16
31
I I I I=4 25-30 15
I I=2 30-35 6
9
I=1 35-40 3

(3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

16
34
21

21

39

34
43
49
37
24

40

Class
10-20
20-30
30-40
40-50
50-60
60-70
70-80
80-90
90-100
100-110

f
4
6
5
10
20
22
24
6
2
1

Class
10-20
20-30
30-40
40-50
50-60
60-70
70-80
80-90
90-100
100-110

f
4
6
5
10
20
22
24
6
2
1

Class
10-20
20-30
30-40
40-50
50-60
60-70
70-80
80-90
90-100
100-110

f
4
6
5
10
20
22
24
6
2
1

Class
10-30
30-50
50-70
70-90
90-110

f
10
15
42
30
3

Class
0-9
10-19
20-29
30-39
40-59
60-79
80-99

f
32
36
20
30
48
24
2

Class
0-2
2-6
6-9
9-12
12-16
16-18
18-20

f
4
8
10
14
16
20
24

20-24

14

24-26

16

26-28

11

28-30

10

30-36

Class
0-9
10-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-69
70-79

f
1
2
6
6
12
8
5
3

Class
11-12
9-10
7-8
5-6
3-4
1-2

f
2
5
12
4
2
1

Class
f
10-25
6
25-40 20
40-55 44
55-70
?
70-85
3
Mode=48.6

Mid-Value
10
20
30
40
50
60
70

f
7
12
17
29
31
5
3

Marks (less than) No. of Students

10
3
20
12
30
25
40
33
50
35
Calculate mean, median, mode

Income (greater than)

No. of Persons
1000
72
2000
67
3000
59
4000
50
5000
36
6000
29
7000
4
8000
0
Calculate mean, median, mode

Class
f
0-10
3
10-20
?
20-30
20
30-40
12
40-50
?
M=27, Z=26

Class
f
10-20
4
10-30
16
10-40
56
10-50
97
10-60
124
10-70
137
10-80
146
10-90
150
Calculate mean, median,
mode

Wages

No. of
Workers

Less than 8
Less than 16
8-24
24 & above
32-40
40 & above
48 & above
Calculate mean, median,
mode

5
12
29
31
8
19
5

Mode: Merits
It is a very simple measure of central
tendency. Often it can be calculated by mere
visual inspection of the data.
It is commonly understood.
The values of mean and median can
sometimes be not even be present in the
series. But mode will always be present in the
series

Mode: Merits
Mode is normally not affected by extreme
values.
For determination of mode, it is not even
necessary to know the values of all the items
of the series.

Demerits of Mode
It is ill-defined, indeterminate, indefinite.
It is not based on all the observations of the
series.
It is not capable of further mathematical
treatment.
It may be unrepresentative in many cases.
In many cases, it may be impossible to get a
definite value of mode.

Empirical Relationship between

Mean, Median & Mode

Empirical Relationship

Choice of Average
If the distribution is more or less symmetrical,
any one of the three measures, that is, mean
median or mode may be used. Their values
would not differ much.
If the data is very asymmetrical, median or
mode should be used instead of mean.

Choice of Average
If the distribution has unequal class intervals,
median should be used as it considers only the
class interval of the median class. Mean can also
be used in such cases. If it is necessary to
calculate mode in such a situation, the series
should be regrouped to get classes with equal
intervals.
In case of any open ended classes, mean cannot
be calculated, therefore median or mode should
be used.

Limitation of Averages
Averages do not throw light on the formation
of the series. The mean of 2, 3 and 55 is 20,
and the mean of 19, 20 and 21 is also 20.
The inherent limitations of averages should
always be kept in mind and they should not be
expected to reveal more than what they can.