Ages of patients admitted in a hospital during a year: 5-15 (6), 15-25 (11), 25-35 (21), 35-45 (23), 45-55 (14), 55-65 (5). Find the mode and the mean of the data, and compare and interpret the two measures.
Hint. The modal class is simply wherever the frequency is highest — no other reasoning needed to locate it.
Finding the mode.
Step 1 — Find the modal class: the one with the highest frequency. Frequencies are 6, 11, 21, 23, 14, 5 — the highest is 23, in class 35-45.
Step 2 — Read off the values needed. l = 35, f₁ = 23, f₀ = 21, f₂ = 14, h = 10
Step 3 — Apply the mode formula, since f₁ is only slightly larger than f₀ here, the correction term should be small — which is exactly why the mode lands close to l. Mode = 35 + [(23−21)/(2×23−21−14)] × 10 = 35 + [2/11] × 10
Step 4 — Compute. = 35 + 20/11 ≈ 35 + 1.818
✦ Mode ≈ 36.8 years
Mean.
Step 5 — Class marks: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60. Using the assumed mean a = 40, h = 10: uᵢ = (xᵢ−40)/10: −3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2 Σfᵢuᵢ = 6(−3)+11(−2)+21(−1)+23(0)+14(1)+5(2) = −18−22−21+0+14+10 = −37 Σfᵢ = 80 mean = 40 + 10(−37/80) = 40 − 4.625
✦ Mean ≈ 35.4 years
Interpretation. The maximum number of patients admitted are around 36.8 years old (the mode), while the average age of all patients is about 35.4 years — the two are close, telling you the data doesn't have a strongly skewed tail pulling the average away from the most common age.
Where students slip. Choosing the modal class by eye rather than strictly by 'highest frequency' — with several classes having double-digit frequencies (11, 21, 23, 14), it's easy to grab a plausible-looking one instead of checking all six numbers.
Another way. The empirical relationship offers a rough cross-check: 3×median − 2×mean should be near the mode. Computing the median here (not asked, but a private check) would land close to 36, consistent with the mode of 36.8.
