Definition
Continuous data
Continuous data come from measurements that can take any value within a range.
Continue from this idea into connected AXIO math.
Continuous values form a slider: you can move between nearby measurements.
Boundary: A list of rounded whole-number measurements can still be continuous data; the underlying variable matters, not the way the values are written.
What it means
Measure a ribbon. It could be 42 cm, 42.3 cm, or a value between those, even if your ruler only lets you record to the nearest millimetre. The written measurements have limited precision, but the length itself changes continuously.
Remember it
Continuous values form a slider: you can move between nearby measurements.
Example
Four seedlings are 8.2 cm, 8.7 cm, 9.1 cm, and 9.6 cm tall. These heights are continuous data because another seedling could have a height between any two recorded values.
Watch for
A list of rounded whole-number measurements can still be continuous data; the underlying variable matters, not the way the values are written.
Common mix-up
Continuous does not mean the sample has no gaps. A small sample can have gaps even when the measured variable is continuous.
Exact meaning
Continuous data are numerical observations of a variable that can, in principle, take any value within an interval. Recorded values are limited by the precision of the measuring tool or method.