What is a range?

The range tells you how spread out a set of numbers is. You find it by subtracting the smallest value from the largest. A small range means the values are close together; a large range means they are spread out.

Examples

• 4, 9, 2, 7 → range 9 − 2 = 7.
• Scores 10 and 10 have a range of 0.
• Temperatures 3° to 21° → range 18°.

Quick facts

• Range = largest value − smallest value.
• It describes spread, not a typical value like the mean or median does.