Frequency tables are two-column charts that display the mode. Individual data points are listed on the right in descending order. On the left is the number of times the corresponding data point appears in the data. For instance, if the number three occurred eight times, three will be on the right and eight will be on the left. The chart can also be horizontal. Here the individual data points are on the top and the number of times they occur are on the bottom.
A bar graph displays the frequency of data visually. The graph is in the form of a box. To the left of the vertical line (the y-axis) are numbers in descending order. These represent the number of times the data occurs. Each data point is recorded below the horizontal line (the x-axis). A bar sits above each data point rising to the number of times the data point occurs. For instance, if three occurred eight times in a set, it would go up to the eight mark on the y-axis.
Once the chart and/or graph is complete, it is simple to identify the mode. In the frequency table, the number with the highest value in the box to the left of it is the mode. On the bar graph, the data point with the highest bar is the mode. Sometimes, there is more than one data point that appears the most often. Two different modes is called bimodal. Three modes is known as trimodal, and so on.
Calculating the mode is a simple way to get a more accurate view of the data. Averages give a general estimate of the data in one value. Mathematicians add up all the data points and then divide them by the number of data points. One large data point, however, can drive the whole average upward. The mode tells people where the majority of the data points lie. As a result, mathematicians are less likely to believe the data represents higher or lower values than it actually does.