Dot Plot Statistics Example 3

Follow the full solution, then compare it with the other examples linked below.

Example 3

medium
Create a dot plot for the data: 3, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7, 8. What is the mode?

Solution

  1. 1
    Draw a number line from 3 to 8. Place one dot above each value for each occurrence: 3(1 dot), 5(2 dots), 6(3 dots), 7(1 dot), 8(1 dot).
  2. 2
    Identify the mode: the value with the most dots (highest frequency). The value 6 has 3 dots, more than any other value.
  3. 3
    Note that 4 has no data points (a gap in the distribution). The distribution is slightly left-skewed with the peak at 6.

Answer

The mode is 6 (appears 3 times, the highest frequency).
A dot plot displays each data point as a dot stacked above a number line. The tallest column of dots identifies the mode — the most frequently occurring value. Dot plots are ideal for small data sets because they show every individual value and make clusters, gaps, and outliers immediately visible.

About Dot Plot

A dot plot is a statistical chart that displays the frequency of data values using dots stacked above a number line. Each dot represents one observation, making it easy to see clusters, gaps, and the overall shape of a distribution for small to medium datasets.

Learn more about Dot Plot →

More Dot Plot Examples

Example 1 easy

The number of books students read last month: 0, 1, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1, 0, 2, 1, 4, 2. Create a dot plot

Example 2 medium

Two dot plots show test scores for Class A (scores clustered tightly around 75) and Class B (scores

Example 4 medium

A dot plot shows ages of participants in a fun run: 20(3 dots), 25(5 dots), 30(8 dots), 35(6 dots),

Example 5 hard

A dot plot shows the number of absences for 20 students: 0(6), 1(5), 2(4), 3(2), 4(1), 8(1), 10(1).

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