When does it make more sense to treate a variable as discret

When does it make more sense to treate a variable as discrete vs. contnuos, or vice versa?

Solution

Discrete data can only take particular values.

Continuous data are not restricted to defined separate values, but can occupy any value over a continuous range. Between any two continuous data values there may be an infinite number of others. Continuous data are always essentially numeric.

It makes sense to treat numeric data that is properly of one type as being of the other. For example,   age is continuous, but often we don\'t really care too much about tiny differences and instead group heights into a number of discrete groups 10-15 years, 16-20 years .

But if we represent a discrete variable and calculate mean if it comes in decimals and this decimal values no meaning for discrete variables. There fore we have to it take as a continuous.

It can also be useful to treat continuous data as categorical, eg: underweight, normal, obese.

If you represent data as median, minimum or maximum discrete is more appropriate. Mean or variance is more appropriate for continuous.