Statistics and Probability Glossary
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Random Variable
When the value of a variable
is the outcome of a
statistical experiment
, that variable is a random variable.
An example will make this clear. Suppose you flip a coin two times. This simple
statistical experiment can have four possible outcomes: HH, HT, TH, and TT.
Now, let the variable X represent the number of Heads that result from this
experiment. The variable X can take on the values 0, 1, or 2. In this example,
X is a random variable; because its value is determined by the outcome of a
statistical experiment.
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