STAT 270 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Continuous Or Discrete Variable, Binomial Distribution, Probability Distribution
27 May 2014
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If a variable can take on any value between two specified values, it is called a continuous variable; otherwise, it is called a discrete variable. Suppose the fire department mandates that all fire fighters must weigh between 150 and 250 pounds. The weight of a fire fighter would be an example of a continuous variable; since a fire fighter"s weight could take on any value between 150 and 250 pounds. Suppose we flip a coin and count the number of heads. The number of heads could be any integer value between 0 and plus infinity. However, it could not be any number between 0 and plus infinity. We could not, for example, get 2. 5 heads. Therefore, the number of heads must be a discrete variable. If a random variable is a discrete variable, its probability distribution is called a discrete probability distribution. If a random variable is a continuous variable, its probability distribution is called a continuous probability distribution.
