How far apart are the ends
Two buses were late on five days. Bus A: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 minutes. Bus B: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 minutes. Both have a mean of 5.
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Step 1 of 4
- Late minutes on five days. Bus A is above, bus B below.
- Both means are 5. The dotted line marks it.
- Bus A: largest 7, smallest 3. The range is 7 − 3 = 4.
- Bus B: largest 9, smallest 1. The range is 9 − 1 = 8.
The range is the largest reading minus the smallest reading.
Bus A has range 7 − 3 = 4. Bus B has range 9 − 1 = 8.
A small range means all the readings are close together. A large range means the smallest and largest are far apart.
Each bus totals 25 minutes, and 25 ÷ 5 = 5. So the two means are the same, but the ranges differ. The mean alone does not show this.