The range, in statistics, is the difference between the highest and lowest values in a data set. It measures the spread or variability of the data by subtracting the smallest value from the largest value. For example, in the set {4, 6, 9, 3, 7}, the lowest value is 3 and the highest is 9, so the range is 9 − 3 = 6
. The range is expressed in the same units as the data and provides a simple measure of dispersion. However, it can be misleading if there are extreme values (outliers) because it only depends on two data points. In such cases, other measures like the interquartile range or standard deviation may be more informative
. In summary:
- Range = Highest value − Lowest value
- It shows how spread out the data is.
- It is always zero or positive.
- Useful for small data sets but sensitive to outliers.
The term "range" can also refer to the set of possible output values of a function in mathematics, but in statistics, it specifically refers to the difference between the maximum and minimum data points
. Example calculation: For the data set {19, 21, 26, 29, 31, 33, 36, 37}: Range = 37 − 19 = 18 years
