To monitor campus security, the campus police office is taking a survey of the number of students in a parking lot every 30 minutes for a 24-hour period with the goal of determining when patrols of the lot would serve the most students. If X is the number of students in the lot during each period of time, then X is an example of
A) a categorical random variable.
B) a discrete random variable.
C) a continuous random variable.
D) a statistic.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Discrete random variables can only take on a countable number of values, which is the case with the number of students in the parking lot. Categorical random variables describe characteristics or qualities of a subject, continuous random variables can take on any value within a range, and a statistic is a number that summarizes a sample population. None of these options accurately represent the number of students in the parking lot.

To Monitor Campus Security, the Campus Police Office Is Taking