Definition:Variable/Domain

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Definition

The collection of all possible objects that a variable may refer to has to be specified.

This collection is the domain of the variable.


Also known as

The domain of a variable is sometimes referred to imprecisely as the values of the variable, or its range of values.


Examples

Litres of Water in Washing Machine

Let $V$ be the number of litres of water in a washing machine.

The domain of $V$ is the closed interval $\closedint 0 C$, where $C$ is the capacity of the washing machine.

$V$ is a continuous variable.


Books on Library Shelf

Let $B$ be the number of books on a library shelf.

The domain of $B$ is the closed interval $\closedint 0 C$, where $C$ is the largest number of books that can be held on a shelf.

$B$ is a discrete variable.


Points on Pair of Dice

Let $S$ be the total number of points that are obtained when tossing a pair of dice.

The domain of $S$ is the set $\set {2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12}$.

$S$ is a discrete variable.


Diameter of Sphere

Let $d$ be the diameter of a sphere.

The domain of $d$ is the open interval $\openint 0 \to$.

$d$ is a continuous variable.


Countries in Europe

Let $C$ be a country in Europe.

The domain of $C$ is the set $\set {\text {France}, \text {Germany}, \text {Spain}, \text {Italy}, \ldots}$

These can be represented numerically if desired, by assigning an integer to each of the countries in Europe, for example:

$1: \text {France}$
$2: \text {Germany}$
$3: \text {Spain}$
$4: \text {Italy}$
$\vdots$

$C$ is a discrete variable.


Sources

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