How to Find the Range

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Introduction

The range of a set of numbers is the difference between the largest and smallest values in the set. The range tells you the size of the interval that the numbers are distributed over.

Terms

Range - The range is the difference between the highest and lowest values.

Lesson

To find the range of a set of numbers, simply subtract the smallest number from the largest number.

For example, the range of the set ${5, 3, 7, 12, 54, 2, 43}$ is

$ext{Range}= ext{highest}- ext{lowest}$

$ext{Range}=54-2$

$ext{Range}=52$

Examples

Find the Range (Example 1)

4, 1, 8, 9, 15, 2

Right now the numbers are out of order, so it is difficult to tell which number is the largest or the smallest. So first put the numbers in order:

1, 2, 4, 8, 9\text{ and }15

Now it is easier to see that the smallest number in the list is 1 and the largest number is 15

To find the range, subtract 1 from 15:

15 - 1 = 14

The range of the set is 14

Find The Range (Example 2)

Ella bought some fruits for a function on consecutive days. Monday she bought 17 grapes, Tuesday 9 grapes, Wednesday 19 grapes, Thursday 20 grapes, Friday 16 grapes, and Saturday 5 grapes. What was the range of grapes counts she bought per day?

Right now the numbers are out of order, so it is difficult to tell which number is the largest or the smallest. So first put the numbers in order:

5, 9, 16, 17, 19\text{ and }20

Now it is easier to see that the smallest number in the list is 5 and the largest number is 20

To find the range, subtract 5 from 20:

20 - 5 = 15

The range of the set is 15

Find the Range (Example 3)

2, 3, 8, 5, 11, 16, 15, 13

Right now the numbers are out of order, so it is difficult to tell which number is the largest or the smallest. So first put the numbers in order:

2, 3, 5, 8, 11, 13, 15\text{ and }16

Now it is easier to see that the smallest number in the list is 2 and the largest number is 16

To find the range, subtract 2 from 16:

16 - 2 = 14

The range of the set is 14