In statistics, an interval represents the difference between the maximum and minimum value of a group of data. Shows how the values are distributed in a series. If the range is a large number, the values of the series are far from each other; if it is small, they are close. If you want to know how to calculate this range, just follow these steps.
Steps
Step 1. List the elements of your dataset
To find the range, you need to put them so that you can identify the highest and lowest numbers. Write down all the elements. The numbers in our example are: 14, 19, 20, 24, 25 and 28.
- It may be easier to identify the maximum and minimum if you arrange the numbers in ascending order. In this example, we would have: 14, 19, 20, 24, 24, 25, 28.
- Listing items in this way also allows you to perform other calculations to find, for example, mean, mode, or median.
Step 2. Identify the major and minor number
In this case, the minimum is 14 and the maximum is 25.
Step 3. Subtract the minor number from the major
Subtract 14 from 25, obtaining 11, which is the value of the data range. 25 - 14 = 11
Step 4. Clearly highlight the value that represents the interval
This will help you avoid confusing it with the results of other statistical calculations you need to do, such as the median, mode, or mean.
Advice
- The median value of any set of statistical data represents what lies in the middle, in terms of data distribution and has nothing to do with the data range. It is not even the value halfway between the extremes of the range. To find the correct median, it is necessary to list the elements in ascending order and locate the element placed in the center of the list. This element is the median. For example, if you have a list of 29 items, the XV element will be equidistant from the top and bottom of the sorted list, so the XV element is the median and it doesn't matter how its value relates to the data range.
- You can also interpret the interval in algebraic terms, but first you need to understand the concept of an algebraic function or a set of operations on a given number. Since the operations of the function can be calculated with any number, even unknown, it is represented by a variable, usually the "x". The domain is the set of all possible input values that can be substituted for the variable. The range of a function, on the other hand, is the set of all possible results that can be obtained by inserting one of the domain values within the function. Unfortunately, there is no unique way to calculate the range of a function. Sometimes it is necessary to graphically represent the function or calculate different values to study its trend. You can also use the domain knowledge of the function to eliminate possible output values or restrict the dataset that indicates the range of the range. In other words, an interval called "range", "image" or "rank" of the function is the set of all the values that can be assumed by the function itself and not by the variable.
