Chapter 6 · ICSE Class 6 Math

Data Handling

Mean, median, and mode all describe a "typical" value in a data set — but in different ways. Drag the sliders and watch all three update live.

The Statistics Machine
8.4
Mean
8
Median
8
Mode
5
8
8
10
11

Try it: make two sliders match to create a mode!

A simple bar graph comparing four categories A bar graph with four bars of different heights, showing how data can be compared visually A B C D
6.1

What is data handling?

Data is a collection of facts or numbers, like test scores or daily temperatures. Data handling means collecting, organizing, and analyzing data to understand it better — often by finding a single value that represents the whole set.

Everyday example — A teacher collecting test scores from a whole class and wanting to know the "typical" score is a data handling problem — that's exactly what mean, median, and mode help answer.
6.2

Mean (average)

1Calculating the mean

Find the mean of 4, 6, 8, 10, 12. Add them: 4+6+8+10+12 = 40. Divide by how many numbers there are (5): 40 ÷ 5 = 8

Watch out — The mean can be pulled a lot by one very high or very low number, so it doesn't always represent the "typical" value well if the data has extreme outliers.
6.3

Median

1Median with an odd number of values

Find the median of 3, 7, 5, 9, 1. First arrange in order: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9. The middle value is 5

2Median with an even number of values

Find the median of 2, 8, 4, 6. Arrange in order: 2, 4, 6, 8. Average the two middle values: (4+6) ÷ 2 = 5

6.4

Mode

1Finding the mode

Find the mode of 2, 5, 5, 7, 9. The number 5 appears twice — more than any other. Mode = 5

2When there is no mode

Find the mode of 2, 4, 6, 8. Every number appears exactly once, so there is no mode

🎮 Data Bay

Complete the Mission

Answer 3 out of 4 correctly to complete the final Class 6 quest!

Practice

Exercises

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Assess

Sample tests

Two 20-mark, 30-minute tests. Reveal answers question by question.