The range is the difference between the largest and smallest numbers.
In this set of numbers: 11, 88, 56, 63, 7, the largest is 88 and the smallest is 7. Thus, the range is 81 (88-7).
When processing data, terms such as mean, median, mode, and range often come up. What do these terms mean and how do you calculate them?
Mean: The mean is the average of a set of numbers, determined by adding them together and dividing by how many numbers are present.
11+88+56+63+7 = 225
There are 5 numbers in the series, so the mean is:
Mean = 225/5 = 45
Median: The median of a series of numbers is the number that appears in the middle of the list when arranged from smallest to largest.
7, 11, 56, 63, 88
Median = 56
NOTE:
For a list with an odd number of members, the way to find the middle number is to take the number of members and add one.
Then divide that value by two. In our case, there are 5 numbers in the series. 5+1 = 6 and half of 6 is 3. The third number in the series is the median or 56.
If the number of members of the series was even, the average of the two middle numbers would be the median.
Mode: The mode is the number that appears most often in a data set. It only has significance if numbers are repeated.
Mode: No value - there is no single number that appears more than any other number in the series: 11, 88, 56, 63, 7.
Range: The range is the difference between the largest and smallest numbers.
Range = 81 - as discussed above.