Chapter 2 - Measurement Concepts

Question 1

Nominal

Answer 1

Names. Categorical, qualitative. No numerical information is provided.

i.e. eye color, gender, brand of shoe, city you live in

Question 2

Ordinal

Answer 2

Rank-ordering of individuals or items on the list, does not tell us how much of the variable exist.

Magnitude

i.e. degrees (B.S., M.S.), Olympic medals (gold-silver-bronze)

Question 3

Interval

Answer 3

Quantitative, can rank order

i.e. degrees Fahrenheit, degrees Celsius.

Question 4

Ratio

Answer 4

Quantitative, magnitude, equal interval between adjacent units on the scale, absolute zero. Can rank order, add and subtract, multiply and divide them.

i.e. inches, $, minutes, kelvin.

Question 5

Continuous variables

Answer 5

Can take on an infinite number of values between adjacent units on the scale.

i.e. length, time, weight

There are infinite number of possible values between 1 and 2 seconds.

Question 6

Discrete variables

Answer 6

Number of people in a room (cannot have half a person), number of classes you are taking, number of cars you own.

Question 7

Upper/lower real limit

Answer 7

180 pounds + 1/2(1) = 180.5 pounds

180 pounds - 1/2(1) = 179.5 pounds

Question 8

Rounding rules

Answer 8

If the decimal remainder is greater than 1/2, add 1 to the last digit of the answer.

If the decimal remainder is less than 1/2, leave the last digit of the answer unchanged.

If the decimal remainder is quality to 1/2, add 1 to the last digit of the answer if it is an odd digit, but if it is even, leave it unchanged.