To clarify whether the data regarding the number of car accidents on a given stretch of highway each year is discrete or continuous:
Discrete Data: This type of data consists of distinct or separate values. It can only take specific values and is often counted in whole numbers.
Continuous Data: This type of data can take on any value within a given range and is typically measured rather than counted. Continuous data includes fractions and decimal values.
In this case, the number of car accidents on a given stretch of highway each year is discrete data. This is because accidents can only be counted as whole numbers (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3, ...), and you cannot have a fraction of an accident.
So, the correct explanation is:
The data are discrete because the number of car accidents can only take specific whole number values (e.g., you can have 0, 1, 2, etc., but not 1.5 accidents).