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2.1 The range

The range is the difference between the largest and smallest values in a data set.

Here are the scores from the previous section.

Team A: 15, 18, 18, 19, 23

Team B: 7, 11, 18, 24, 33

Team A has a range of 23-15 = 8

Team B has a range of 33-7= 26

Activity 8

Timing: Allow 10 minutes

Calculate the range for each of these lists of data. As you work, can you spot how some of the questions involve extra challenges?

Set A: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128

Set B: 3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9

Set C: 0.7, 1.3, 8.6, 12, 13.5

Set D: apple, banana, kiwi, orange, pineapple

Set E: -3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1

Set A: 128 – 2 = 126

Set B: 9 – 1 = 8; the data was not presented in order

Set C: 13.5 – 0.7 = 12.8; this question involved decimals

Set D: It is not possible to find the range with this type of data (qualitative data)

Set E: 1 – (-3) = 4; this question involved a negative number