Question

$$ \begin{aligned} &\text { Elena's math scores }\\\ &\begin{array}{|l|l|} \hline \text { Test 1 } & 78 \\ \hline \text { Test 2 } & 83 \\ \hline \text { Test 3 } & 81 \\ \hline \text { Midterm exam } & 85 \\ \hline \text { Test 4 } & 89 \\ \hline \text { Test 5 } & 94 \\ \hline \text { Final Exam } & 96 \\ \hline \end{array} \end{aligned} $$ What is the range of Elena’s math grades? Write your answer in the box.

Short answer

The range of Elena's math grades is 18.

Step-by-step solution

Identify the Scores

Identify all of the scores from the table given: Test 1: 78 Test 2: 83 Test 3: 81 Midterm Exam: 85 Test 4: 89 Test 5: 94 Final Exam: 96

Find the Highest Score

From the list of scores, identify the highest score. Here, the highest score is 96 (Final Exam).

Find the Lowest Score

Next, identify the lowest score from the list. Here, the lowest score is 78 (Test 1).

Calculate the Range

Calculate the range by subtracting the lowest score from the highest score. Range = Highest Score - Lowest Score In this case: Range = 96 - 78

Simplify the Calculation

Perform the subtraction to find the range. Range = 96 - 78 = 18

Key concepts

Finding the Range

The range of a set of scores gives us an idea of the spread or dispersion of the values. It's a measure of how spread out the scores are. To find the range, we identify the highest and lowest values from the set and subtract the lowest value from the highest one. This simple calculation tells us how far apart the extreme values in the data are.

For example, if we have scores like Elena's math grades, we look at all the given scores, find the highest and lowest ones, then subtract. This is a fundamental step in understanding the variation in data.

Math Grades

Math grades often come from multiple assessments like quizzes, tests, midterms, and final exams. Each of these assessments contributes to the overall picture of a student's performance. Keeping track of all these scores is essential because each one can impact the overall grade average and the range.

In our example with Elena, her grades include numbers from different tests and exams throughout her course. By looking at these numbers, we can analyze how she's doing over time and calculate important statistics like the range to understand the spread of her performance.

Subtraction

Subtraction is one of the basic arithmetic operations that involves taking one number away from another. It's crucial for calculating the range of scores. When finding the range, we subtract the lowest score from the highest score. This operation tells us the difference between the two extremes.

For Elena's scores, we use subtraction in the final step to find the range: 96 (highest score) minus 78 (lowest score). The result, 18, represents the range of her scores, showing us the spread of her grades from the lowest to the highest.

Highest and Lowest Values

Identifying the highest and lowest values in a series of numbers is key to finding the range. The highest value indicates the maximum score, while the lowest value shows the minimum score. These two values set the limits for our data set.

In the case of Elena's math grades, it's crucial to be accurate in identifying these values. The highest score is 96 from the final exam, and the lowest score is 78 from Test 1. By focusing on these values, we can correctly determine the spread of her scores, which is essential for further analysis.