Types of Variables

In statistical studies, a variable is something that is liable to vary or change and they are usually the main focus of experiment. 

There are two types of variables: quantitative variables and qualitative variables. Quantitative variables are numerical and represent something that can be counted (height, age, # of siblings, etc). Qualitative variables represent names, categories or labels (yes/no, breed of dog, smoker/nonsmoker, etc). While it's important to recognize this distinction, we will not be making this distinction moving forward.