“Continuous variables can take on almost any numeric value and can be meaningfully divided into smaller increments, including fractional and decimal values. You often measure a continuous variable on a scale. For example, when you measure height, weight, and temperature, you have continuous data. Categorical variables have values that you can put into a countable number of distinct groups based on a characteristic. Categorical variables are also called qualitative variables or attribute variables. For example, college major is a categorical variable that can have values such as psychology, political science, engineering, biology, etc.”