What is defined as the number that occurs most frequently in a data set?

The mode is defined as the number that occurs most frequently in a data set. It is a measure of central tendency that identifies the value which appears with the highest frequency. For instance, in the data set {2, 3, 3, 5, 7}, the number 3 is the mode since it appears twice, whereas all other numbers appear only once.

Understanding the mode is particularly useful in various contexts, such as analyzing survey responses or categorical data, where identifying the most common option can provide insights into preferences or trends within a group. In contrast, the median represents the middle value when data is ordered, the range denotes the difference between the highest and lowest values, and the mean is the average of all values calculated by summing them and dividing by the total count. Each of these terms serves a different purpose within data analysis, highlighting the unique role that the mode plays in understanding frequency and commonality within a dataset.