Discrete and continuous data

There are two types of quantitative data, discrete and continuous.

Discrete means separate or distinct. Discrete numbers are the counting numbers. In counting you jump from one number to the next, you can’t have anything in-between, only these separate numbers. An example would be the number of cars in a carpark or the number of students in a class.

Continuous means not interrupted. Continuous data involves a smoother transition between numbers. Values like 0.2 or 3.53 appear in continuous data, numbers involving decimals or fractions, numbers in between the counting numbers. Examples of continuous data are the height of a person, the temperature on a summer’s day. Continuous data is measured rather than counted.