(con-TIN-yoo-um)
The continuum is a range, series, or spectrum that gradually changes. It has no definite beginning or end but, instead, has a series of distinctly defined extremes, such as gendered expectations for women and men, the severity of crime, or the relative importance of achieved and ascribed status.
In science fiction, a continuum is the range of possible futures for a universe. But a continuum is also the range of possibilities for a particular event, such as the death of a loved one or the success of a play.
A continuum is a set of options or alternatives that you can choose from in any situation. It is also the range of choices for a given problem or issue, such as what school to send your children to or what career path to take. The best way to understand these ideas is through an example: the choice of a high school math curriculum is a continuum, with ninth graders moving on from algebra to geometry, trigonometry, and calculus as they master each one. The four basic parenting styles tend to fall on a continuum as well, from strict discipline to more child centered approaches.
