Definition
Discrete data
Discrete data take separate, countable possible values rather than every value in between.
What it means
Picture stepping stones: you can land on allowed values, but some values between them are not possible. A family can have 2 or 3 children, not 2.4 children. The context decides the allowed steps.
Remember it
Discrete values are stepping stones; continuous values form a slider.
Example
The numbers of goals in six games are 0, 2, 1, 3, 1, and 2. This is discrete data because goals are counted in whole steps, and 1.5 goals is not a possible game total.
Watch for
Whole-number-looking records are not automatically discrete. A temperature rounded to 20°C may come from a continuous measurement.
Common mix-up
Discrete means separate possible values, not merely a sample list that happens to have gaps.
Exact meaning
Discrete data are numerical observations of a variable whose possible values are distinct and countable in the stated context. They often come from counting, but the possible values need not always be whole numbers.