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The range is a straightforward measure of variability calculated as the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution.

Range

Although the range is easy to compute, it can provide a misleading impression of a distribution's variability when outliers are present. Because the range relies solely on the absolute highest and lowest values, a single extreme score will drastically inflate the range, giving the false appearance that the entire dataset is widely spread out.

Sensitivity of the Range to Outliers

To calculate the range of a distribution, subtract the lowest score from the highest score. For example, if the highest score in a dataset is $$24$$ and the lowest score is $$15$$, the range is calculated as $$24 - 15 = 9$$.

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