Continuous Random Variables
A continuous random variable is one which takes an infinite number of possible
values. Continuous random variables are usually measurements. Examples include
height, weight, the amount of sugar in an orange, the time required to run a mile.
A continuous random variable is not defined at specific values. Instead, it is
defined over an interval of values, and is represented by the area under a curve (in
advanced mathematics, this is known as an integral). The probability of observing
any single value is equal to 0, since the number of values which may be assumed
by the random variable is infinite.
Suppose a random variable X may take all values over an interval of real numbers.
Then the probability that X is in the set of outcomes A, P(A), is defined to be the
area above A and under a curve. The curve, which represents a function p(x), must
satisfy the following:
1: The curve has no negative values (p(x) > 0 for all x)
2: The total area under the curve is equal to 1.
A curve meeting these requirements is known as a density curve.