What are discrete intervals?

A discrete interval is like counting steps on a staircase, each step is separate and you can’t stand between two steps.

Imagine you're playing with building blocks. Each block is a whole unit, not something you can split in half or cut into pieces. That's what a discrete interval feels like: it’s made up of distinct parts that don’t blend together. You jump from one block to the next, no in-between.

Think about counting your fingers. You have 10 fingers total, and each finger is separate. When you count, you go from 1 to 2 to 3, no half-fingers or parts of fingers. This is a discrete interval because it's made up of whole numbers.

Now think about climbing a ladder. You don’t walk partway up a rung, you step from one rung to the next. Each rung is a separate place, just like each number in a discrete interval.

If you were standing between two steps or two rungs, that would be like a continuous interval, something we’ll talk about later! But for now, keep thinking in whole blocks and whole fingers. A discrete interval is like counting steps on a staircase, each step is separate and you can’t stand between two steps.

Imagine you're playing with building blocks. Each block is a whole unit, not something you can split in half or cut into pieces. That's what a discrete interval feels like: it’s made up of distinct parts that don’t blend together. You jump from one block to the next, no in-between.

Think about counting your fingers. You have 10 fingers total, and each finger is separate. When you count, you go from 1 to 2 to 3, no half-fingers or parts of fingers. This is a discrete interval because it's made up of whole numbers.

Now think about climbing a ladder. You don’t walk partway up a rung, you step from one rung to the next. Each rung is a separate place, just like each number in a discrete interval.

If you were standing between two steps or two rungs, that would be like a continuous interval, something we’ll talk about later! But for now, keep thinking in whole blocks and whole fingers.