Esri ArcGIS Pro Associate Pro Certification Practice Exam

True or False: If it makes sense to take an average of the values in the data, then the data is continuous.

1. True

2. False

3. This depends on the dataset.

4. Data is always continuous.

The correct answer is: True

Taking an average of values typically indicates that the values are measured on a continuous scale, where it is meaningful to calculate a central tendency, like the mean. Continuous data can take any value within a range and is characterized by the ability to be subdivided into finer levels of detail. For instance, measurements such as height, temperature, and distance can have decimals and can be averaged effectively. In contrast, discrete data consists of distinct, separate values and is often counted rather than measured. For example, the number of students in a classroom is a whole number and does not lend itself to averaging in the same way continuous data does. This is why the assertion that continuous data is capable of being averaged aligns with the principles of data classification. While there are situations in specialized data analysis where the distinction may blur (as in ordinal data), the fundamental characteristic of the capability to calculate meaningful averages does indeed suggest that the data in question is likely continuous.