What is the range of a data set?

The range of a data set is defined as the difference between the largest value and the smallest value within that set. This calculation provides a measure of how spread out the values are. By subtracting the smallest value from the largest, you obtain a single number that indicates the extent of variation or dispersion in the data. This is particularly useful for quickly assessing the overall span of the data without getting into more detailed statistics.

The other choices do not correctly describe the range. The average represents a measure of central tendency rather than the range, while the sum gives the total of all the values, also irrelevant to the concept of range. The middle value of sorted data refers to the median, which is again a different measure entirely focused on central tendency rather than spread. Therefore, the correct definition of range is indeed the largest value minus the smallest value.