What are required characteristics of a variable?

What are the key characteristics that a variable should possess? Variables are essential components in research and data analysis. They help in organizing and categorizing data to draw meaningful conclusions. In order to be effective, a variable must possess certain required characteristics. These characteristics include being exhaustive and mutually exclusive.

Exhaustive

Exhaustive: This means that a variable should include all possible options or categories within a given context. For example, if we are studying the hair color of people, the variable "hair color" should include all possible options like black, brown, blonde, red, etc. It should cover every possibility without leaving any category out.

Mutually Exclusive

Mutually Exclusive: This means that each option or category within a variable should be distinct and not overlap with any other option. In other words, each option should belong to only one category. For instance, in the variable "gender," the categories should be mutually exclusive, meaning that each person should belong to either the male category or the female category, but not both.

So, in summary, a variable should be exhaustive, covering all possible options, and mutually exclusive, ensuring that each option is distinct and does not overlap with any other option.

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