Which term describes the difference between the largest and smallest values in a data set?

The term that describes the difference between the largest and smallest values in a data set is known as the range. To calculate the range, you simply subtract the smallest value from the largest value. This measure provides a quick sense of how spread out the data points are within the set, highlighting the extent of values from the lowest to the highest.

In contrast, variance and standard deviation are measures of dispersion that involve the average of squared differences from the mean, focusing on how individual data points vary from the overall average rather than simply the extremes. The mean is the average of all values in a data set, which does not directly address the spread or difference between the minimum and maximum values. Thus, range is the most straightforward measure for this specific characteristic of the data.