Which term describes the difference between the largest and smallest values in a data set?

Which term describes the difference between the largest and smallest values in a data set?

• A. Minimum
• B. Range
• C. Line graph
• D. Place

Answer: (B)

Range is the measure of how spread out a set of numbers is. It is found by taking the largest value and subtracting the smallest value. For example, in a data set with 3, 7, 2, 9, and 5, the largest value is 9 and the smallest is 2, so the range is 9 − 2 = 7. This shows how far apart the numbers can be. The other terms don’t fit here: minimum means only the smallest value, not the distance between extremes; a line graph is a chart of values over time, not the spread; place isn’t a term used for describing data sets.

Range is the measure of how spread out a set of numbers is. It is found by taking the largest value and subtracting the smallest value. For example, in a data set with 3, 7, 2, 9, and 5, the largest value is 9 and the smallest is 2, so the range is 9 − 2 = 7. This shows how far apart the numbers can be. The other terms don’t fit here: minimum means only the smallest value, not the distance between extremes; a line graph is a chart of values over time, not the spread; place isn’t a term used for describing data sets.