What do we call the difference between the largest and smallest numbers in a data set?

The difference between the largest and smallest numbers in a data set is referred to as the range. This measure provides a simple way to understand the spread or distribution of values within the data set. By subtracting the smallest number from the largest, you can quickly see how much variation exists between the highest and lowest values, which can be particularly useful when analyzing data to recognize patterns or identify outliers.

Understanding the range is crucial for contextualizing the data set, as it gives a straightforward numerical value that represents the extent of the data. It helps in making quick comparisons between different data sets, especially when assessing variability. Other statistical measures like variance, standard deviation, and mean provide different insights into the data, focusing on aspects like average values or how spread out the numbers are from the mean, but when specifically looking at the distance between the highest and lowest values, the term range is the appropriate one to use.