Definition:Variable/Descriptive Statistics

Definition

A variable is a characteristic property of all individuals in a population or sample.

It is a categorization of the population such that each individual can be unambiguously described with respect to said variable.

Quantitative Variable

A quantitative variable is a variable such that:

The variable can be described by numbers

The performing of arithmetical operations on the data is meaningful.

Qualitative Variable

A qualitative variable $Q$ is a variable such that:

$Q$ is not a quantitative variable

$Q$ describes each individual as either having, or not having, some specific property.

Continuous Variable

A continuous variable is a variable which can take any value between two given values.

Discrete Variable

A discrete variable is a variable which is not continuous.

Sources

• 2011: Charles Henry Brase and Corrinne Pellillo Brase: Understandable Statistics (10th ed.): $\S 1.1$