Answer to Question #305925 in Statistics and Probability for joan

Question

A Random Variable that can take on a finite (or countably infinite) number of distinct values.

Answer 1

It is a discrete random variable.

Within a range of numbers, discrete variables can take on only certain values. Suppose, for example, that we flip a coin and count the number of heads. The number of heads will be a value between zero and plus infinity. Within that range, though, the number of heads can be only certain values. For example, the number of heads can only be a whole number, not a fraction. Therefore, the number of heads is a discrete variable. And because the number of heads results from a random process - flipping a coin - it is a discrete random variable.