Discrete and Continuous Data Discrete and Continuous data

Discrete and Continuous Data

Discrete and Continuous data • When you draw a graph it is important to decide if you are using discrete or continuous data. • Discrete data describes the situation when each category is separate from the others. Examples would be colours, chocolate bars or even number data such as shoe sizes or bus numbers. The important thing is that numbers in between have no meaning – you can have shoe size 6½ but you cannot have size 6¼! • Continuous data describes the situation when you are using a quantity where the gaps in between always mean something. Normally, anything that you measure is continuous, like time, or height • With discrete data it is common to draw a scatterplot because you only want to know the information at the exact points you have plotted. • With continuous data, you normally draw a line graph because you want to know the information at any time.

Discrete Data

Continuous Data

Discrete and Continuous Data • Classify each set of data as discrete or continuous and explain why. • 1) The number of suitcases lost by an airline. • 2) The height of corn plants. • 3) The number of ears of corn produced. • 4) The number of green M&M's in a bag. • 5) The time it takes for a car battery to die. • 6) The production of tomatoes by weight.