What is the range?
The range is not in the primary curriculum (it is taught in Key Stage 3), but some 11+ papers include it. Below: what it means, a worked example, the mistake to watch for and an 11+ question.
The answer
The range is the difference between the biggest and smallest numbers in a set, showing how spread out they are.
What it means
Find the largest value and the smallest value, then subtract.
The range is not an average. It tells you how spread out the numbers are, not what a typical one is.
A worked example
Find the range of 3, 12, 7 and 9
- Largest: 12. Smallest: 3.
- 12 − 3 = 9, so the range is 9.
The common mistake
Writing "3 to 12" as the range. The range is one number: the difference, 12 − 3 = 9.
How it comes up in the 11+
Five temperatures are −2°C, 5°C, 3°C, −4°C and 1°C. What is the range?
Answer: 9°C
- The highest is 5°C and the lowest is −4°C.
- From −4 up to 0 is 4 degrees, and from 0 up to 5 is 5 more.
- 4 + 5 = 9, so the range is 9°C.
Try it yourself
It opens on the temperatures from the 11+ question, −2, 5, 3, −4 and 1, and shows the range worked out across zero.
Type a list of numbers to see the mean, median, mode and range, each with its working.
Related words and practice
More maths words
Questions parents ask
Is the range an average?
No. The mean, median and mode are averages. The range measures how spread out the values are.
Can the range be 0?
Yes, when every value is the same. The range of 6, 6 and 6 is 6 − 6 = 0.
Knowing the words is half of an 11+ maths question
11+ papers use maths vocabulary without explaining it. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.