Question

Determine whether each of the following variables would best be modeled as continuous or discrete. a. The number of people in a restaurant that has a capacity of 150. b. The time it takes to fly from City Upper A to City Upper B. c. The number of textbook authors now sitting at a computer. d. The amount of rain in City Upper B during April. e. The number of fish caught during a fishing tournament

Answer 1

a. Discrete random variable.

b. Continuous random variable.

c. Discrete random variable.

d. Continuous random variable.

e. Discrete random variable.

Explanation:

A random variable can be classified as continuous or discrete.

Heights,weights,time,surface,volume are some examples of continuous random variables.

Number of people,number of objects,number of animals are some examples of discrete random variables.

If the random variable assumes finite values or infinite numerables values then the random variable is discrete.

If the random variable assumes values over a continuum then the random variable is continuous.

For a. The number of people in a restaurant that has a capacity of 150

This is a DISCRETE random variable.

For b. The time it takes to fly from City Upper A to City Upper b.

This is a CONTINUOUS random variable.

For c. The number of textbook authors now sitting at a computer.

This is a DISCRETE random variable.

For d. The amount of rain in City Upper B during April.

The amount of rain will be a volume of rain (water).Therefore, this is a CONTINUOUS random variable.

For e. The number of fish caught during a fishing tournament.

This is a DISCRETE random variable. Notice that if instead of ''the number of fish'' we have ''The amount of fish'' this random variable would be a weight and it would be a continuous random variable.