Calculate Min, Max, and Range

Online calculator for descriptive statistics: minimum, maximum, range, count, mean, and interquartile range

Statistics Calculator

Descriptive Statistics

Calculate the important measures of location and dispersion of a data series: minimum, maximum, range, count, mean, and interquartile range.

Enter Data
Data values (separated by spaces or semicolons, do not need to be sorted)
Results
Minimum:
Maximum:
Range:
Count:
Mean:
Interquartile Range:
Properties of the Measures

These measures are central metrics of descriptive statistics for characterizing data distributions.

Measures of Location Measures of Dispersion Descriptive Statistics

Data Distribution

Visualization of statistical measures
Minimum, maximum, range, and interquartile range show the data distribution

Min Q1 Med Q3 Max Five-Number Summary Min, Q1, Median, Q3, Max Range IQR

Minimum Quartiles Median Maximum


Descriptive Statistics - Fundamentals

Descriptive statistics are fundamental measures for characterizing datasets:

  • Minimum (Min): The smallest value in the data series
  • Maximum (Max): The largest value in the data series
  • Range: The difference between maximum and minimum (Max - Min)
  • Count (n): The total number of data points
  • Mean (Ø): The arithmetic average of all values
  • Interquartile Range (IQR): The distance between the 3rd and 1st quartile (Q3 - Q1)

Calculating the Measures

Step-by-step explanation for calculating the measures:

Minimum
  • The smallest value of the data series
  • Min = min(x₁, x₂, ..., xₙ)
  • Example: For [3, 1, 7, 5] → Min = 1
Maximum
  • The largest value of the data series
  • Max = max(x₁, x₂, ..., xₙ)
  • Example: For [3, 1, 7, 5] → Max = 7
Range
  • The difference between Max and Min
  • Range = Max - Min
  • Example: For [3, 1, 7, 5] → Range = 7 - 1 = 6
Count
  • The total number of data points
  • n = Length of the data series
  • Example: For [3, 1, 7, 5] → n = 4
Mean
  • The arithmetic average
  • Ø = (x₁ + x₂ + ... + xₙ) / n
  • Example: For [3, 1, 7, 5] → Ø = 16/4 = 4
Interquartile Range
  • Difference between 3rd and 1st quartile
  • IQR = Q3 - Q1
  • Contains the middle 50% of the data

Applications and Significance

These statistical measures are used in many practical applications:

Exploratory Data Analysis
  • Quick overview of data distribution
  • Detection of outliers (outside Min-Max)
  • Boxplot visualization
  • Data quality checks
Practical Applications
  • Quality control in manufacturing
  • Financial risk analysis
  • Climate data analysis (Min/Max temperatures)
  • Measurement accuracy analysis

Formulas and Definitions

Minimum
\[\min(x) = \min\{x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_n\}\]

The smallest value in the data series

Maximum
\[\max(x) = \max\{x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_n\}\]

The largest value in the data series

Range
\[R = \max(x) - \min(x)\]

The difference between maximum and minimum

Arithmetic Mean
\[\overline{x} = \frac{1}{n}\sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i = \frac{x_1 + x_2 + \cdots + x_n}{n}\]

The average of all values

Interquartile Range (IQR)
\[IQR = Q_3 - Q_1\]

The middle 50% of the data (between 25th and 75th percentile)

Five-Number Summary
\[\{Min, Q_1, \text{Median}, Q_3, Max\}\]

Complete summary of the data distribution

Symbol Explanations
\(x_i\) i-th data point
\(n\) Number of data points
\(Q_1\) 1st quartile (25%)
\(Q_3\) 3rd quartile (75%)
\(\overline{x}\) Mean
\(R\) Range

Example Calculations

Example 1: Test Scores
Scores: 7, 9, 12, 1, 3, 2, 14, 8, 6, 11

Calculate: All descriptive statistics

1. Sort Data
\[\text{Original: } 7, 9, 12, 1, 3, 2, 14, 8, 6, 11\] \[\text{Sorted: } 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14\]

Ascending sorting required for Min/Max

2. Determine Min & Max
\[\min = 1\] \[\max = 14\] \[\text{Range} = 14 - 1 = 13\]

Min is the 1st value, Max is the last value

3. Count & Mean
\[n = 10\] \[\overline{x} = \frac{1+2+3+6+7+8+9+11+12+14}{10}\] \[\overline{x} = \frac{73}{10} = 7.3\]

Average of all values

4. Quartiles & IQR
\[Q_1 = 3.25 \text{ (25th percentile)}\] \[Q_3 = 11.25 \text{ (75th percentile)}\] \[IQR = 11.25 - 3.25 = 8\]

The middle 50% of the data

Example 2: Daily Temperatures for a Week (in °C)
Temperatures: 18, 22, 25, 23, 19, 21, 24

Calculate: Temperature range and average temperature

Results

Minimum

18°C

Maximum

25°C

Range

7°C

Mean

21.71°C

Number of Days

7

Example 3: Data Set Comparison

Data Set A: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 → Min=10, Max=50, Range=40, Ø=30
Data Set B: 25, 26, 30, 34, 35 → Min=25, Max=35, Range=10, Ø=30

Both have the same mean, but different ranges! Data Set A is much more widely distributed.

Mathematical Foundations

Descriptive statistics form the basis of exploratory data analysis and are essential for understanding data distributions.

Properties of Measures of Location

  • Invariance: Min and Max are not invariant under monotonic transformations, but change predictably
  • Robustness: Min and Max are not robust to outliers (one extreme value changes them)
  • Simplicity: These measures are intuitively understandable and easy to calculate
  • Information: The range provides information about the variability of the data

Five-Number Summary

The Five-Number Summary is a concept for completely characterizing a distribution:

The Five Numbers
  1. Minimum: 0th percentile
  2. Q₁: 25th percentile (lower quartile)
  3. Median: 50th percentile (2nd quartile)
  4. Q₃: 75th percentile (upper quartile)
  5. Maximum: 100th percentile
Boxplot Visualization

The Five-Number Summary is typically visualized as a boxplot: The box shows the middle 50% (IQR), the line in the box is the median, and the whiskers show Min and Max.

Quartiles and Percentiles

Quartiles are special cases of percentiles:

  • Q₁ (25th percentile): 25% of the data lie below it
  • Q₂ (50th percentile) = Median: 50% of the data lie below it
  • Q₃ (75th percentile): 75% of the data lie below it
  • IQR = Q₃ - Q₁: The range of the middle 50% of the data
  • Outlier thresholds: Values < Q₁ - 1.5·IQR or > Q₃ + 1.5·IQR are often considered outliers

Practical Significance

Data Quality Checking

Min and Max show the range of values and help identify impossible values (e.g., negative temperatures where none are possible).

Outlier Detection

The interquartile range is the basis for outlier detection using the 1.5·IQR rule, one of the most robust methods for detecting anomalies.

Summary

These fundamental statistical measures form the basis of data analysis. They are easy to understand, quick to calculate, and provide a quick overview of data structure and distribution. Together with the boxplot concept, they form a fundamental method of exploratory data analysis (EDA).

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