Question 1196755: Classify each of the following variables as either Qualitative, Discrete Quantitative, or Continuous Quantitative:
a. Weight of an automobile
b. Candidate an American voted for in the 2016 election
c. Number of "close friends" a person reports having
Answer by math_tutor2020(3816)   (Show Source):
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Answers:- Continuous Quantitative
- Qualitative
- Discrete Quantitative
Explanation:
The weight of a car is some positive real number. We could have something like 2000 pounds or perhaps 2500 pounds or maybe 2375.825 pounds. We can have decimal values as possible weights. This points us to a continuous variable. A continuous variable is one where we can have midpoints between any two endpoints. You can effectively zoom in on any part of the number line. The set is infinitely large.
In contrast, a discrete variable is one where we have finitely many values within a certain interval. Consider the set {1,2,3,4} which has four items in it. This finite set could represent the number of friends someone could have. We cannot compute the midpoint of 3 and 4 to get 3.5, since a person can't have 3.5 friends. So whenever you're asked to count the number of something, you'll go for a discrete quantitative variable.
A qualitative variable is where it doesn't take on numeric values. In the case of the candidate you vote for, the values the variable takes on would be the names of each candidate. We cannot apply math operations to these names (eg: finding the average), so this is one indicator of a qualitative variable.
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