What type of quantitative variable consists of distinct values that can be counted?

Discrete variables are a type of quantitative variable characterized by distinct, separate values that can be counted. These variables take on a finite number of possible values, and each value represents a distinct quantity. For example, the number of students in a classroom, the number of cars in a parking lot, or the number of goals scored in a soccer match are all examples of discrete variables, as they can be counted and cannot take on non-integer values.

In contrast, continuous variables can take on an infinite number of values within a given range and are often measured rather than counted. Nominal variables refer to categories without a quantitative value, and ordinal variables involve ranked categories that indicate some level of order, but not a precise numerical difference between them. Thus, recognizing the distinct counting nature of discrete variables is key to understanding their definition and proper classification in statistics.