random variable

American  

noun

Statistics.

1. a quantity that takes any of a set of values with specified probabilities.

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random variable British  

noun

1.  rv.  statistics a quantity that may take any of a range of values, either continuous or discrete, which cannot be predicted with certainty but only described probabilistically

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Etymology

Origin of random variable

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

random variable

In a way, the Poisson distribution can be thought of as a clever way to convert a continuous random variable, usually time, into a discrete random variable by breaking up time into discrete independent intervals.

From Textbooks ● Nov. 29, 2017

The values of a random variable can vary with each repetition of an experiment, often called a trial.

From Textbooks ● Nov. 29, 2017

First, the Poisson has a discrete random variable, x, where time; a continuous variable is artificially broken into discrete pieces.

From Textbooks ● Nov. 29, 2017

Recall that discrete data are data that you can count, that is, the random variable can only take on whole number values.

From Textbooks ● Nov. 29, 2017

The myriad factors affecting innovativeness make the historian’s task paradoxically easier, by converting societal variation in innovativeness into essentially a random variable.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond