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I've been writing a program and I often come across naming variables that store the maximum and minimum value in a set of data. Is there any word that means both the max and minimum values of something? Right now the only word I can think of describing this is "outlier" but I feel that implies that that particular set of data is much farther away from the other points and I simply feel there is a better word out there to use. Thanks for any suggestions in advance :)

JJJ
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Cats
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  • Are you talking about a chart of individual samples, or rather a chart of a function, with a continuous line? But, whichever, you would be better off using mathematical terminology, and would probably be better off asking in Statistics or Mathematics SE. – Hot Licks Apr 20 '18 at 01:48

4 Answers4

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The mathematical term extremum is the hypernym for maximum and minimum.

extremum noun (Mathematics, usually as modifier) The maximum or minimum value of a function. ‘Trajectories x that solve Newton's equations are those that are extrema of the action A = [integral operator] L (x, v (t)) dt.’ ‘The first step in solving such equations by the variational method is to show that the extremum is attained.’ - ODO

Lawrence
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Perhaps:

endpoint(s): "either of two points or values that mark the ends of a line segment or interval" (Merriam-Webster)

Or, to express it differently, the maximum and minimum values are limits.

Jason Bassford
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Bound or Limit

(Upper/lower bound, upper/lower limit)

Paul Statezny
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    Those are ambiguous. Suppose you have the set of real numbers strictly smaller than 1, then that set has no maximum value (1 is not the maximum because it is not in the set, and any value smaller than one is not the maximum because there exists a larger value in the set). 1 is, however, an upper bound for the set (but so is 55, i.e. there is at most one maximum, but there can (and are in my example) be infinitely many upper bounds ;) ). For reference: Math.SE. – JJJ Apr 20 '18 at 05:45
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Are you looking for "range"?

range

  • an amount or extent of variation, the difference or interval between the smallest and largest values in a frequency distribution or a set of data: "a wide price range". TFD
  • the space or extent included, covered, or used. Range is a general term indicating the extent of one's perception or the extent of powers, capacities, or possibilities MW

Examples from the web:

  • In Lake County, ages ranged from 16 to 64, while the span was from 18 to 60 in Porter County, data shows.
  • The proportion of sand ranges from 30 to 80 per cent and averages 56 per cent. Clay ranges from 18 to 68 per cent and averages 42 per cent.
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Centaurus
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