The mode appears the most often out of a given set of numbers. A data set can have more than one mode, or no mode at all if all of the numbers appear with equal frequency. The concept of a mode can be easily connected to many tangible, real-life situations. A bakery that sells twice as many red velvet cupcakes as chocolate brownies will need to produce more cupcakes to satisfy their customers. In this bakery, the number of red velvet cupcakes sold is the mode.
The terms mean and average are used interchangeably in mathematics. When the entirety of a data set is added and divided by the total number of data points, the resulting number is referred to as the mean or the average. Averages are used quite frequently in everyday statistics. Ask the students to find the average age of classmates in the room with or without the age of the instructor included, and in their own family.
Median is another simple measurement used commonly in basic statistical analysis. When a data set is organized by the size of numbers, the median is the middle value. If there is an even number of data points, the median is the average of the two middle values. Medians can be used when the data set features extremely large or small values that could significantly affect the average. Median is likely to be the best measurement of age when a given group features one person aged 80, and everyone else between 18 and 20.
Range is a descriptive measurement used for assessing data sets. To obtain the range, simply subtract the smallest value from the largest value. The resulting number is the range. Range can be used to quickly develop an understanding of the needs of a given group. Caterers may quickly determine the age ranges at a wedding to calculate menu options and portions needed. Age range may also be used in designing a theme park, to ensure all visitors are sufficiently entertained.