SCALES OF MEASUREMENT

G. MERLIN
S TAT I S T I C I A N
 DATA

A collective recording of the observations, either

numerically or otherwise is called as “Data”.
TYPES OF DATA
A variable is a quantity that is measured or
observed in an individual and which varies from person
to person.
Example:
Blood pressure, Blood group, Gender etc,
because it varies from person to person.
 TYPES OF DATA

Classification of Data :-
Depending on the nature of the variable, data is
classified into 2 broad categories:
 Qualitative (Categorical) and
 Quantitative (Numeric) Variable
 QUANTITATIVE DATA

Variables that yield observations that can be

measured are considered to be quantitative variables.
They are numeric. They represent a measurable
quantity. Example :- Age, Income, Height, Weight,
Body Temperature, arch length, fluoride concentration
in water supply etc.
QUANTITATIVE DATA

Quantitative data are of two types :-

1. Discrete Data

2. Continuous Data
QUANTITATIVE DATA
• Discrete Data
Does not lie on a continuum and can only take
certain values, usually counts (integers).
Example:
The number of pervious pregnancies in a pregnant
woman, since it is counted and only whole numbers are
possible.
QUANTITATIVE DATA
• Continuous Data
Lies on a continuum and so can take any value between
two limits. The only limitation is that imposed by the
accuracy of the method of measurement so that some
continuous data may be recorded as integers, although that
is an approximation to the true value.
Example:
Weight is a continuous variable because it is measured
using weighing sclaes.
QUANTITATIVE DATA

Quantitative Data can be further classified as being on

an interval scale or a ratio scale.
QUALITATIVE DATA
Variables that yield observations on which
individuals can be categorized according to some
characteristics or quality are referred to as qualitative
variables. They are further classified into ordinal and
norminal.
Example :-
Gender (Male/Female)
Occupation (Unemployed/Employed)
QUALITATIVE DATA

Qualitative data are of two types :-

1. Ordinal Data

2. Nominal Data
QUALITATIVE DATA
Ordinal Data
• Characteristics can be put in ordered “natural
categories”.
• There are distinct classes.
• Can be ordered on the basis of their magnitude.
Example:
Pain status ( mild, moderate, severe).
Stages of Cancer ( I, II, III and IV)
QUALITATIVE DATA
Nominal Data
 When one measures by this scale, one simply names
or categorizes the responses.
 They do not imply any ordering among the responses.
Example:
Marital status (married, single, divorced, widowed,
legally separated) it is coded as 1,2,3,4,5 but it is not
ordered data. We cannot say that ‘single’ comes before
‘divorced’ or that ‘widowed’ comes before ‘legally
separated’ in any meaningful sense.
DICHOTOMOUS DATA

This is where there are only two classes and all

individuals fall into one or the other of the classes.
These data are also known as Binary Data.
CATEGORIZING CONTINUOUS DATA
It is possible to reclassify continuous data into
groups, perhaps for ease of reporting.
For example:
It is common to report birthweight in bands, giving the
numbers
of babies who fall into each birthweight category.
• < 2500g
• 2500 – 3000g
• 3000 – 3500g
• 3500 – 4000g
• >4000g
IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF DATA
• Military title – Lieutenant, Captain, Major
• Categorization of clothing : Hat, Shirt, Shoes, Pants
• Heat measured in degrees centigrade - Discrete
• A score on a 5-point quiz measuring knowledge of algebra
• City of birth
• Sex : Male / Female
• What is your height in meters?
• What is your weight in kilograms?
IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF DATA
 How many cigarettes do you smoke per day?
• None
• 0-5
• 5-10
• 10-20
• 0ver 20
 How much exercise do you do on an average day? Minimal (no
specific exercise or daily routine)
• Moderate (some moderate exercise most days eg walking)
• Vigorous (vigorous activity most days eg jogging, cycling)
IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF DATA
 I have friends and relatives with whom I can discuss the
positive and negative events of the days: True/False
 I have 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day: Yes/No
 I would rate my overall health as
• Excellent
• Good
• Average
• Below average
• Poor
 IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF DATA
• My resting pulse rate ( in beats per minute) _bpm
• My body temperature (in degrees centigrade) _°c
• My country of residence is
• Flavors of frozen yogurt
• Amount of money in savings accounts
• Letter grades on an English essay
• Religions
• Ages (in years) of art students
• Ice cream flavor preference
• Years of important historical events
• Instructors classified as: Easy, Difficult or Impossible
 IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF DATA
• The teacher of a class of third graders records the height of each
student.
• The teacher of a class of third graders records the eye color of
each student.
• The teacher of a class records the letter grade for mathematics
for each student.
• The teacher of a class records the percentage that each student
got correct on the last science test.
• A meteorologist compiles a list of temperatures in degrees
Celsius for the month of May
• A meteorologist compiles a list of temperatures in degrees
Fahrenheit for the month of May
• A meteorologist compiles a list of temperatures in degrees Kelvin
for the month of May
 IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF DATA
• A film critic lists the top 50 greatest movies of all time.
• The roster of a basketball team lists the jersey numbers for each
of the players.
• A local animal shelter keeps track of the breeds of dogs that
come in.
• A local animal shelter keeps track of the weights of dogs that
come in.
• Favorite foods of statistics class
• Breeds of dogs owned
• List of popular video games
• Popular baby names in 2019
• Birth year of employees at work
• Number of students in the classroom
 IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF DATA

• A ----- is a characteristic that we observed and

measured from every element of the universe
• _________ consists of numbers representing counts or
measurements
• The entire group of objects or individuals considered
for a survery ________
• A part of the population _________