In five matches, Harpreet scored 42, 48, 45, 51 and 44 runs, and Nandini scored 30, 62, 38, 55 and 45 runs. Both have the same mean. Judged by the range, who is the more consistent batter?

Harpreet, with a range of 9 runsCorrect answerYour answerNandini, with a range of 32 runsCorrect answerYour answerHarpreet, with a range of 32 runsCorrect answerYour answerNeither, because the means are equalCorrect answerYour answer

Show the answer and explanation

CorrectNot quiteAnswer A

Correct answer: A

Both means are $230 \div 5 = 46$ runs.
Harpreet's range = $51 - 42 = 9$ ; Nandini's range = $62 - 30 = 32$ .
The smaller range means the scores are closer together, so Harpreet is more consistent.

Worth noting

Equal means say nothing about spread; two sets with the same mean can be very different in consistency.

Concept: Using range to compare the spread of two data sets
Typical timeTypical: 70 s
Your timeYours: —

The rule this testsRange and spread

Practise this chapter →

Ten questions from Mean, Median and Mode, at your own pace.

In five matches, Harpreet scored 42, 48, 45, 51 and 44 runs, and Nandini scored 30, 62, 38, 55 and 45 runs. Both have the same mean. Judged by the range, who is the more consistent batter?

Explanation