Unless you have a good reason to use mode or median, like bimodal distributions or heavily skewed data, the best measure to use is the mean. SPSS Tips: Vocabulary: Measures of Central Tendency - Numbers that represent the average or typical score obtained from measurements of a sample.
<u>Mean and median both try to measure the "central tendency" in a data set. The goal of each is to get an idea of a "typical" value in the data set. The mean is commonly used, but sometimes the median is preferred.</u>
If you think of the "for every" as a : then it will make sense. So, replace the "for every" with a :. So: There are 5 strawberries for every 6 apples Turns into strawberries:apples = 5:6