How to Find the Range and Standard Deviation of a Set of Data?

To find the range and standard deviation of a set of data, follow these steps:

Finding the Range

The range is the difference between the maximum and minimum values in your data set. To calculate it:

1. Identify the largest number in the set (maximum).
2. Identify the smallest number in the set (minimum).
3. Subtract the minimum from the maximum: Range = Maximum – Minimum.

Finding the Standard Deviation

The standard deviation measures the amount of variation or dispersion in a set of values. Here’s how you compute it:

1. Calculate the mean (average) of your data set. To do this, add up all the numbers and divide by the count of numbers.
2. Subtract the mean from each data point and square the result (this is called the squared deviation).
3. Sum all the squared deviations.
4. Divide this sum by the number of data points if you’re calculating the population standard deviation. If you’re calculating the sample standard deviation, divide by the number of data points minus one.
5. Finally, take the square root of that result to get the standard deviation.

These two measures, range and standard deviation, help you understand the spread and distribution of your data effectively.