Random variable
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Aschlafly (talk | contribs) at 02:22, April 28, 2007. It may differ significantly from current revision.
A random variable is a function that assigns a unique numerical value to every possible event having an outcome dependent on chance. The random variable will typically be different for each new event, such as a new toss of a coin.
There are discrete and continuous random variables. An example of a discrete random variable is the umber of heads observed in the ten tosses of a coin. This random variable can only have the values 0, 1, 2, ... or 10. An example of a continuous random variable is the mileage on your car until it breaks down. It can have any positive value.