QUANTITATIVE VARIABLE IS DISCRETE OR CONTINOUS

Definition :

A quantitative variable is one which has a numerical value and is often called a numerical variable. This information collected is called numerical data.

Types of quantitative variable :

(i) Discrete variable

(ii) Continuous variable

Discrete variable :

Discrete variable takes exact number values and is often a result of counting.

Examples :

The number of people in a household:

The variable could take the values 1, 2, 3,...

The score out of 30 for a test :

The variable could take the values 0, 1, 2, 3, ..., 30.

Continuous variable :

Continuous variable takes numerical values within a certain continuous range. It is usually a result of measuring.

Examples :

The weight of newborn babies :

The variable could take any positive value on the number line but is likely to be in the range 0.5 kg to 7 kg.

For each of the following possible investigations, classify the variable as categorical, quantitative discrete or quantitative continuous :

Problem 1 :

(1) The number of goals scored each week by a hockey team		quantitative discrete
(2) The weights of the members of a basketball team		quantitative continuous
(3) The most popular TV station.		Categorical
(4) The number of kittens in each litter.		quantitative discrete
(5) The number of bread rolls bought each week by a family		quantitative discrete
(6) the pets owned by students in your class		Categorical
(7) the number of leaves on a rose plant stem		quantitative discrete
(8) the number of hours of daylight each day in winter		quantitative continuous
(9) the number of people who die from heart attacks each year in a given city		quantitative discrete
(10) the amount of rainfall in each month of the year		quantitative continuous
(11) the countries of origin of refugees		Categorical
(12) the reasons people use public transport		Categorical
(13) the stopping distances of cars doing 80 kmh^-1		quantitative continuous
(14) the number of cars passing through an intersection per hour		quantitative discrete
(15) the pulse rates of a group of hockey players at rest		quantitative discrete

Problem 2 :

State whether these quantitative (or numerical) variables are discrete or continuous :

a) the time taken to run 1500 metres

It is continuous.

b) the maximum temperature reached on a March day

It is continuous.

c) the weight of cargo taken on a ship

It is continuous.

d) the time taken for a battery to run down

It is continuous.

e) the number of trips made by a taxi

It is discrete

f) the number of people in a theatre.

It is discrete

g) the number of minutes spent sending text messages per day

It is continuous.

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QUANTITATIVE VARIABLE IS DISCRETE OR CONTINOUS

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