A discrete random variable is illustrated typically with dots or dashes, while a continuous variable is illustrated with a solid line.

Discrete random variable A random variable that can take only a certain specified set of individual possible values-for example, the positive integers 1, 2, 3, . . .

A discrete distribution is a statistical probability distribution that represents the possible discrete values a variable can take.

The alias method of Walker is a clever, new, fast method for generating random variables from an arbitrary, specified discrete distribution. A simple probabilistic proof is given, in terms of mixtures ...