Range — SAT Math Explained
A measure of spread (variability) calculated as the difference between the maximum and minimum values in a data set: Range = Maximum - Minimum.
The Core Idea
Range measures how spread out the data is. A small range means values are clustered together; a large range means they're spread far apart. However, it only uses two values and can be misleading if there are extreme outliers.
Key Vocabulary
How much the data values vary from each other
The degree of difference among data points
An extreme value far from the rest of the data
A more robust measure of spread: Q3 - Q1, representing the middle 50% of data
Limitations
Range only uses 2 values — entirely determined by extremes
A single outlier can make a data set appear much more spread than it is
Two data sets can have the same range but very different distributions
Real World Application
Temperature range for a city, price range for a product, variation in test scores
Connection To Other Measures
Range is the simplest spread measure; IQR and standard deviation provide more complete pictures of variability
Practice: Range
5 SAT-style questions. Select your answer and get an instant explanation.
What is the range of: 12, 5, 18, 9, 3?
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