Final answer:
The distance between the lowest and highest tones an instrument can make is known as its range. Timbre, which characterizes the distinct sound of an instrument, is not to be confused with range.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term for the distance between the lowest tone to the highest tone that an instrument can play is called range. Timbre, which is often confused with range, actually refers to the quality or color of a sound that makes it distinct from sounds produced by other instruments or voices, even when they're playing the same pitch at the same loudness.
Timbre is affected by the complex interplay of frequency, amplitude, and timing of sound waves, distinguishing the characteristic sound of different instruments. For example, a violin and a piano playing the same note will sound different due to their distinctive timbres, which are shaped by their unique combinations of fundamental frequencies and overtones. Loudness, meanwhile, is described by terms like intensity level or decibel, and is not the same as the range of an instrument.