Please indicate whether each variable is a nominal, ordinal, interval or ratio-level variable.

Question

Please indicate whether each variable is a nominal, ordinal, interval or ratio-level variable.

 

Variable 1. Numbers on the back of an athletes jersy. 

 

variable 2. Weight(in pounds) of wrestlers.

 

variable 3. Scores on ACT Test(range; 0 to 36).

 

variable 4. The number of buildings on a college Campus.

 

variable 5. U.S. news and reports university Rankings. 

 

Answer 1

Below definitions may help:

 

- When you have limited number of classes (values) and at same time no two classes can be assigned to same instance of variable and there is no order you can categorize the variable as Nominal (Qualitative variable).

- When above properties of Nominal holds except there is some order you may categorize such variable as Ordinal (Qualitative Variable).

- When there is no absolute zero present the variable it is called Interval  like at 0 degree centigrade there is some temperature so it means no absolute zero present. (Quantitative Variable)

- All properties of Ordinal holds except ratio variable has absolute zero. (Quantitative Variable)

 

You can now try this matrix for the variables

 

                        Nature                             classes            Order             Absolute Zero       

Varibale 1         Qualitative/Quantitative     YES/NO            YES/NO          YES/NO

Varibale 2         Qualitative/Quantitative     YES/NO            YES/NO          YES/NO

Varibale 3         Qualitative/Quantitative     YES/NO            YES/NO          YES/NO

Varibale 4         Qualitative/Quantitative     YES/NO            YES/NO          YES/NO

Varibale 5         Qualitative/Quantitative     YES/NO            YES/NO          YES/NO