GCSE Statistics · key term

Variable

Definition

A characteristic that can take different values, such as temperature, shoe type or a test score.

Used by Edexcel

Specification 1b.01, 1b.03 · Paper 1, Paper 2

A characteristic that can take different values, such as a person's weekly listening time or whether they are a student or teacher.
Compare the interquartile ranges, which describe the spread of the middle half of each group's values, to judge how variable their listening times are.
Revise: Initial planning
A characteristic that can take different values for different people, objects or observations, such as height or eye colour.
Revise: Statistical data terminology

1
Specify the population, variables, units and time period rather than saying only ‘collect some data’.
2
Classify what the variable represents, not just how it is written. A numerical code for a colour still represents a qualitative category.
3
Rounding a measurement does not make the underlying variable discrete: height remains continuous when recorded to the nearest centimetre.

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