Nominal:

Definition: Nominal data represents categories with no inherent order or ranking.

Example: Colors, gender, or types of fruit. For example, you can have categories like "red," "blue," "male," "female,"
"apple," and "orange."

Binary:
Definition: Binary data is a special case of nominal data with only two categories or outcomes.
Example: Yes/No, True/False, 0/1. For instance, responses to a yes/no survey question or the outcome of a coin toss
(heads/tails).

Ordinal:

Definition: Ordinal data has categories with a meaningful order or ranking, but the intervals between them are not
consistent or meaningful.

Example: Educational levels (e.g., high school, college, graduate), customer satisfaction levels (e.g., low, medium,
high), or socio-economic status (e.g., low-income, middle-income, high-income).

Numeric (Quantitative):

Definition: Numeric data represents measurable quantities and can be further categorized into two types: interval-
scaled and ratio-scaled.

Example: Heights, weights, income, or temperature.

Interval-scaled:

Definition: Interval data has consistent intervals between values, but there is no true zero point.
Example: Temperature measured in Celsius or Fahrenheit. The difference between 20°C and 30°C is the same as the
difference between 30°C and 40°C, but 0°C does not represent an absence of temperature.

Ratio-scaled:

Definition: Ratio data has a true zero point, and the ratios between values are meaningful.
Example: Height, weight, income in dollars. A height of 0 cm or a weight of 0 kg implies the absence of height or
weight, and ratios such as one person being twice as tall as another are meaningful.

In summary, nominal, binary, and ordinal data are categorical, while numeric data can be further classified into
interval-scaled and ratio-scaled based on the nature of the measurement and the presence or absence of a true zero
point.
Discrete Attribute:

Definition: Imagine things that can be counted and are separate from each other. Discrete attributes have a specific,
distinct set of values, and you can count or list them.
Example: Think about your profession - you can be a teacher, doctor, or engineer. These are specific categories, and
you can count them. Another example is zip codes - each area has its unique code, and you can list or count them.
Binary attributes, which are a special case, could be like yes or no, true or false - where there are only two distinct
options.

Continuous Attribute:

Definition: Now, think about things that can vary smoothly, like a sliding scale. Continuous attributes can take on any
value within a range, and they are not limited to specific points.
Example: Consider temperature - it can be 24.5 degrees Celsius, or 25.1 degrees. There's an infinite number of
possibilities between those two values. Height is another example - you can be 165.3 cm tall, and someone else might
be 170.7 cm tall. These attributes are like a smooth spectrum, and we often represent them with numbers that can have
decimal points, like 24.5 or 165.3.

In short, discrete attributes are like counting distinct things with specific values, while continuous attributes are more
like smoothly varying measurements with a range of values.

Important characteristics of data sets

1. Dimensionality (Number of Attributes):

Definition: This refers to the number of features or characteristics in a dataset. For example, in a dataset about houses,
attributes could include things like square footage, number of bedrooms, and location.

Importance: High-dimensional data, with a large number of attributes, can pose challenges known as the "curse of
dimensionality." It can make analysis and interpretation more complex.

2. Sparsity:

Definition: Sparsity in a dataset means that many of its elements have zero values. In other words, only a small
portion of the data is actually non-zero or filled with information.

Importance: Sparsity is crucial in certain types of data, especially in fields like text mining or recommendation
systems where not all possible interactions or words may be present.
 3. Resolution:

Definition: Resolution refers to the level of detail or granularity in the dataset. It's like zooming in or out to see
patterns at different scales.

Importance: Patterns in data can vary based on the scale of observation. For example, studying the surface of the
Earth at a city level resolution might reveal different patterns than studying it at a country level. Understanding and
choosing the right resolution is important for meaningful analysis.

4. Size:

Definition: Size simply refers to the amount of data in the dataset, often measured in terms of the number of records or
instances.
Importance: The size of the dataset can impact the type of analysis that can be performed. Larger datasets might require
more computational resources, and the analysis approach might differ based on whether you are working with a small
or large dataset.

TYPES OF DATA SETS:

Record:
Definition: A record is a collection of related information or attributes about a particular entity. Each record represents
a unique instance or entry in a dataset.
Example: In a student database, each record could represent a student with attributes such as name, age, and grade.

Data Matrix:
Definition: A data matrix is a two-dimensional representation of data, where rows typically represent observations or
instances, and columns represent variables or attributes.
Example: Consider a spreadsheet where each row represents a customer, and columns include information like
customer ID, name, purchase history, and total spending.

Document Data:
Definition: Document data involves text-based information often organized in documents or textual form.
Example: A collection of articles, books, or emails can be represented as document data. Each document may contain
text, and analysis could involve natural language processing (NLP) techniques.

Transaction Data:
Definition: Transaction data records events or transactions over time, typically in a database. It's often used in retail or
financial contexts.
Example: A database tracking sales in a retail store would have transaction data, where each entry represents a
purchase with details like items bought, price, and time of purchase.
Graph:
Definition: A graph represents relationships between entities using nodes and edges.
Example: Social network connections can be represented as a graph, where individuals are nodes, and connections
(friendships) are edges.

World Wide Web:

Definition: The World Wide Web can be seen as a dataset where web pages are interconnected through hyperlinks.
Example: Each web page is a node, and hyperlinks are edges in a graph. Analyzing the structure can reveal insights
into the web's organization.

Molecular Structures:
Definition: Molecular structure datasets contain information about the arrangement of atoms and bonds in molecules.
Example: In chemistry, a dataset could represent various molecules, where each entry details the arrangement of atoms
in a specific compound.

Ordered:
Definition: Ordered datasets have a specific sequence or order among the elements.
Example: Time-series data, where each entry represents observations collected at different time points, creating a
sequential order.

Spatial Data:
Definition: Spatial data represents information with a spatial or geographic component.
Example: GIS (Geographic Information System) datasets, where each entry contains information about a specific
location on a map.

Temporal Data:
Definition: Temporal data involves information related to time.
Example: Weather data with records of temperature, humidity, and precipitation at different timestamps.

Sequential Data:
Definition: Sequential data involves elements arranged in a specific order.
Example: DNA sequences, where each entry represents the order of nucleotides in a genetic sequence.

Genetic Sequence Data:

Definition: Genetic sequence data contains information about the order of DNA or RNA bases in a genome.
Example: DNA sequences for different organisms, where each entry represents the genetic code for a specific
organism.