Range (statistics): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 16:47, 29 December 2024

The range is a measure of dispersion in statistics, representing the difference between the highest and lowest values in a data set. It provides a simple indication of the spread of the data.

Calculation[edit]

To calculate the range, subtract the smallest value from the largest value in the data set:

Range = Maximum value − Minimum value

For example, in the data set {3, 7, 8, 15, 22}, the range is 22 − 3 = 19.

Properties[edit]

The range is sensitive to outliers, as it only considers the extreme values.
It is a simple measure and does not provide information about the distribution of values between the extremes.
The range is often used in conjunction with other measures of dispersion, such as the interquartile range and standard deviation.

Applications[edit]

The range is used in various fields to provide a quick sense of the variability in data. In medicine, it can be used to understand the spread of biological measurements such as blood pressure or cholesterol levels.

Limitations[edit]

While the range is easy to compute, it is not a robust measure of variability because it is highly affected by outliers. Other measures, like the variance or standard deviation, provide more comprehensive insights into data variability.

References[edit]

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-'''Range (statistics)'''
-The '''range''' in [[statistics]] is a measure of [[dispersion]], a value that represents the spread of a [[data set]]. It is the difference between the highest and lowest values in the data set. The range can give a general idea about the spread of the data, but it does not provide information about the data's distribution.
+{{Short description|Statistical measure of dispersion}}
+{{Statistics}}
-== Calculation ==
+The '''range''' is a measure of [[dispersion]] in [[statistics]], representing the difference between the highest and lowest values in a [[data set]]. It provides a simple indication of the spread of the data.
-The range is calculated by subtracting the smallest value in the data set from the largest value. The formula for calculating the range is:
+==Calculation==
+To calculate the range, subtract the smallest value from the largest value in the data set:
-: Range = Maximum value - Minimum value
+: '''Range''' = Maximum value − Minimum value
-For example, if a data set includes the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, the range would be 5 - 1 = 4.
+For example, in the data set {3, 7, 8, 15, 22}, the range is 22 − 3 = 19.
-== Limitations ==
+==Properties==
+* The range is sensitive to [[outliers]], as it only considers the extreme values.
+* It is a simple measure and does not provide information about the distribution of values between the extremes.
+* The range is often used in conjunction with other measures of dispersion, such as the [[interquartile range]] and [[standard deviation]].
-While the range is a simple measure of dispersion, it has several limitations. It only considers the extreme values in the data set and does not take into account the other values. Therefore, it can be greatly affected by [[outliers]]. In addition, the range does not provide any information about the data's [[central tendency]] or its distribution.
+==Applications==
+The range is used in various fields to provide a quick sense of the variability in data. In [[medicine]], it can be used to understand the spread of [[biological measurements]] such as [[blood pressure]] or [[cholesterol levels]].
-== Applications in Medicine ==
+==Limitations==
+While the range is easy to compute, it is not a robust measure of variability because it is highly affected by outliers. Other measures, like the [[variance]] or [[standard deviation]], provide more comprehensive insights into data variability.
-In [[medicine]], the range is often used in [[medical statistics]] to describe the spread of data such as patients' ages, blood pressure readings, or the results of a [[medical test]]. For example, the normal range for human body temperature is typically stated as 36.5–37.5 °C.
+==See also==
+* [[Interquartile range]]
-[[File:Blood pressure chart.png|thumb|right|A chart showing the range of normal, prehypertension, and hypertension blood pressure readings.]]
+* [[Variance]]
-== See Also ==
-* [[Mean]]
-* [[Median]]
-* [[Mode (statistics)|Mode]]
 * [[Standard deviation]]
-* [[Variance]]
+* [[Statistical dispersion]]
-== References ==
-<references />
+==References==
+{{Reflist}}
-[[Category:Statistical dispersion]]
+[[Category:Statistical deviation and dispersion]]
 [[Category:Summary statistics]]
-[[Category:Medical statistics]]
-{{statistics-stub}}
-{{medicine-stub}}