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{{Probability fundamentals}}
In [[mathematics]] and [[statistics]], a quantitative [[variable (mathematics)|variable]] may be '''continuous''' or '''discrete''' if they are typically obtained by ''measuring'' or ''[[counting]]'', respectively.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ali |first1=Zulfiqar |last2=Bhaskar |first2=S. Bala |title=Basic statistical tools in research and data analysis |journal=Indian Journal of Anaesthesia |date=September 2016 |volume=60 |issue=9 |page=662–669 |doi=10.4103/0019-5049.190623|doi-access=free|pmc=5037948 }}</ref> If it can take on two particular [[real number|real]] values such that it can also take on all real values between them (including values that are arbitrarily or infinitesimally close together), the variable is continuous in that [[Interval (mathematics)|interval]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kaliyadan |first1=Feroze |last2=Kulkarni |first2=Vinay |title=Types of Variables, Descriptive Statistics, and Sample Size |journal=Indian Dermatology Online Journal |date=January 2019 |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=82–86 |doi=10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_468_18 |pmid=30775310 |pmc=6362742 |doi-access=free }}</ref> If it can take on a value such that there is a non-[[infinitesimal]] gap on each side of it containing no values that the variable can take on, then it is discrete around that value.<ref>K.D. Joshi, ''Foundations of Discrete Mathematics'', 1989, New Age International Limited, [https://books.google.com/books?id=RM1D3mFw2u0C&dq=continuous+discrete+variable+math&pg=PA7], page 7.</ref> In some contexts a variable can be discrete in some ranges of the [[number line]] and continuous in others.
[[File:Continuous and discrete variables.png|thumb|upright=1.3|right|Variables can be divided into two main categories: qualitative (categorical) and quantitative (numerical). Continuous and discrete variables are subcategories of quantitative variables. Note that this schematic is not exhaustive in terms of the types of variables.]]
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