A pupil is asked for the mode of 7, 7, 8, 12 and 16 and answers 8. Which statement identifies the mistake in this mode calculation?
The pupil gave the mean of the five values instead of the mode.
The pupil gave the median of the five values; the mode is 7, the only repeated value.✓Bonne réponse
The pupil was right, because 8 is the value that sits centrally in the ordered data set.
The data set has no mode, so no single value can be given as the answer.
Explication
Only 7 occurs more than once in this data set, so the mode is 7, while 8 stands in the central position of the ordered data and is therefore the median. Calling the response correct because 8 sits centrally applies the rule for the median to a question that asked which value occurs most often.