Final answer:
Data modality refers to the number of modes in a set, where mode is the most frequent value. A dataset with two and three modes is named bimodal and trimodal respectively. The term 'modality' is often used in mathematics when analyzing data distributions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Data Modality
When analyzing data sets, especially in a mathematics context, we frequently comment on the modality of the data. Modality refers to the number of modes in a data set. A mode is defined as the most frequently occurring value within the data set. When a data set has two modes, it is called bimodal, and if it has three, it is referred to as trimodal. Understanding modality can provide insights into the distribution and pattern of the data.
For instance, in the example provided where five real estate exam scores are 430, 430, 480, 480, 495, the data set is bimodal because the scores of 430 and 480 are the modes, each occurring twice. This indicates that there are two prevalent scores among the test-takers, which might suggest separate clusters or groupings in performance. While this concept is primarily mathematical, it often comes up in multimodal genres and compositions which use multiple types of communication and literacy skills, though the term 'multimodal' in that context has a different meaning.