Question

Distinguish between discrete and continuous random variables.

Answer 1

	Points of Difference	Discrete Variable	Continuous Variable
1.	Meaning	A variable which can take only certain specific values.	A variable which can take any value within a given range or limit.
2.	Nature of Values	Its values increase in jumps or steps (whole numbers).	Its values increase continuously, not in jumps or steps.
3.	Example	Number of students in a class – 30, 35, 40, 45, 50.	Height, weight, or age – e.g., 50.5 kg, 42.8 kg, 18.6 years.
4.	Probability Distributions	Binomial, Poisson, and hypergeometric distributions belong to this category.	Normal, Student’s t, and Chi-square distributions belong to this category.