What type of data can the mode be used with?

The mode is a measure of central tendency that represents the most frequently occurring value in a dataset. It is unique in that it can be applied to both qualitative and quantitative data.

For qualitative data, such as categories or names (e.g., types of fruits, colors), the mode indicates which category is the most common among the dataset. For quantitative data, which includes both ordinal and numerical values (like ages, test scores, etc.), the mode similarly points out the value that appears most often, regardless of whether the data is discrete or continuous.

This versatility in its application is what makes the mode particularly useful in various fields such as marketing, psychology, and social sciences, where both categorical and numerical data are analyzed. Thus, utilizing the mode with both qualitative and quantitative data is entirely valid and accurately reflects its capacity as a descriptive statistic.