What does range measure in a dataset?

Range measures the spread of values in a dataset by quantifying the difference between the largest and smallest values. This gives a clear understanding of how much variation exists within the dataset. By calculating the range (largest value minus smallest value), it provides insight into the extent of dispersion, which can be useful in identifying the scale of the data and any potential outliers that may be present.

For example, in a set of test scores, knowing that the highest score is 95 and the lowest is 50, the range would be 45. This indicates a significant spread in scores, suggesting variability in performance among the test-takers. Understanding range is fundamental in statistical analysis as it lays the groundwork for more complex measures of dispersion, such as variance and standard deviation.