Which of the following describes the difference between the smallest and largest data point?

The difference between the smallest and largest data point is called the range. The range is a simple measure of dispersion that indicates how spread out the values in a data set are. By calculating the range, you subtract the smallest value in the set from the largest value. This provides a straightforward way to understand the extent of variation among the data points.

The variance, on the other hand, is a statistical measurement that reflects how far a set of numbers is spread out from their average value, which involves a more complex calculation considering all data points.

The median is the middle value of a data set when the numbers are arranged in order, while the mean is the average of all data points. Neither the median nor the mean directly addresses the gap between the smallest and largest numbers in the data set, which is specifically what the range represents. Thus, the choice that correctly describes the difference between the smallest and largest data point is indeed the range.