A random variable is an assignment of numbers to possible outcomes of a random experiment. For example, consider tossing three coins. The number of heads showing when the coins land is a random variable: it assigns the number 0 to the outcome {T, T, T}, the number 1 to the outcome {T, T, H}, the number 2 to the outcome {T, H, H}, and the number 3 to the outcome {H, H, H}.