Question

The simplest measure of variability in data set is:
(A) Range
(B) Mean
(C) Mode
(D) Median
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• (A) only.
• (B) only.
• (A) and (B)
• (C) and (D)

Hint:

Range is simple to calculate but highly sensitive to extreme outliers, which is why Standard Deviation is preferred for rigorous statistical analyses.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
In agricultural biometrics and statistics, data analysis involves summarizing data using measures of central tendency and measures of dispersion (variability).

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us analyze the terms provided in the question:
1. Range: It is a measure of dispersion or variability. It is calculated simply as the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value in a dataset:
\[ \text{Range} = X_{\text{max}} - X_{\text{min}} \] Because it only requires finding the difference between two extreme values, it is the simplest and easiest measure of variability to compute.
2. Mean, Mode, and Median: These are measures of central tendency, not measures of variability. They describe the center or most common value of a distribution, rather than how spread out the data points are.
Therefore, the only measure of variability listed is the Range.

Step 3: Final Answer:
Thus, the simplest measure of variability is (A) only (Range).