What is the definition of range in statistics?

The definition of range in statistics is indeed the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution. This is a fundamental measure of variability that indicates how spread out the values in a dataset are. To compute the range, one simply subtracts the smallest value (the minimum) from the largest value (the maximum).

This measure provides a quick sense of the extent of the data, highlighting how much variation exists between extreme values. A larger range suggests more variability in the dataset, while a smaller range indicates that the values are more closely clustered together.

The other choices do not accurately reflect the concept of range. The average of all scores pertains to the mean, the middle score relates to the median, and the total number of scores represents the count rather than a measure of spread. Understanding the range is essential for interpreting the variability within data, making option C the correct choice.