range

statistics

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

In statistics, the range is a fundamental measure of variability. It is calculated by finding the difference between the largest and smallest values in a dataset. This simple measure provides a quick understanding of the spread of data, though it is determined solely by the extreme values.1

The term "range" can also refer to the set of values a function can take on, or the limits within which something operates, such as the pitch of a melody or the capacity of a voice. In a broader sense, it signifies the extent or scope of something, like the entire range of human experience.2

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

chemical analysis
Evaluation of results
…measure of variability is the range, given as the difference between the largest and the smallest results. It has no statistical significance, however, for small data sets. Another statistical term, the average deviation, is calculated by adding the differences, while ignoring the sign, between each result and the average of…
Read More
…measure of variability is the range, given as the difference between the largest and the smallest results. It has no statistical significance, however, for small data sets. Another statistical term, the average deviation, is calculated by adding the differences, while ignoring the sign, between each result and the average of…
Read More

statistics
Numerical measures
The range, the difference between the largest value and the smallest value, is the simplest measure of variability in the data. The range is determined by only the two extreme data values. The variance (s²) and the standard deviation (s), on the other hand, are measures…
Read More
The range, the difference between the largest value and the smallest value, is the simplest measure of variability in the data. The range is determined by only the two extreme data values. The variance (s²) and the standard deviation (s), on the other hand, are measures…
Read More