To find the range of a set of numbers, subtract the smallest value from the largest value.

What “range” means (quickly)

In basic math and statistics, the range measures how spread out your data is.
It is defined as:

Range = largest value − smallest value

This works the same way whether the numbers are positive, negative, whole numbers, or decimals.

Step-by-step: how to find range

  1. Write down your data
    Example: 3, 7, 2, 10, 4

  2. Identify the smallest number
    Here the smallest is 2.

  3. Identify the largest number
    Here the largest is 10.

  4. Subtract smallest from largest
    Range = 10 − 2 = 8

So the range of 3, 7, 2, 10, 4 is 8.

Another example (with a tiny story)

Imagine five friends compare how many messages they sent today:
8, 12, 15, 20, 9

  • Smallest (minimum) = 8
  • Largest (maximum) = 20
  • Range = 20 − 8 = 12

So the range of their message counts is 12, meaning there’s a spread of 12 messages between the least and most active friend.

Special notes and common mistakes

  • Always check all the numbers first. People often miss a value and pick the wrong max or min.
  • Order can help. Lining numbers up from smallest to largest makes it easier to see min and max.
  • Outliers matter a lot. One extreme value (like a 100 in a list of mostly 20s) can make the range very large.

Range in grouped data (classes)

If data is given in class intervals (like 0–10, 10–20, 20–30, …), a basic way to find range is:

Range = upper limit of last class − lower limit of first class

Example: For class intervals 0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40, 40–50:
Range = 50 − 0 = 50.

HTML table: quick reference

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Type of data</th>
      <th>How to find range</th>
      <th>Example</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>List of numbers</td>
      <td>Identify max and min, then compute (max − min).</td>
      <td>Data: 3, 7, 2, 10, 4 → Range = 10 − 2 = 8. [web:3][web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>With negative numbers</td>
      <td>Still max − min, even if min is negative.</td>
      <td>Data: −5, −1, 3 → Range = 3 − (−5) = 8. [web:3]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Grouped data (class intervals)</td>
      <td>Upper limit of last class − lower limit of first class.</td>
      <td>Classes: 0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40, 40–50 → Range = 50 − 0 = 50. [web:7]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

TL;DR: To find range, just do:
largest value − smallest value.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.