NOIR

What is a Nominal Scale?

Data placed into categories with no order or ranking.

Nominal Scale Memory Trick

Nominal = Name.

Examples of a Nominal Scale

Gender, eye color, province, favorite pet, marital status.

Nominal Scale Question Example

What is your favorite social media platform?

What is an Ordinal Scale?

Data can be ranked or ordered, but the differences between ranks are not equal.

Ordinal Scale Memory Trick

Ordinal = Order.

Examples of an Ordinal Scale

Customer satisfaction, class ranking, education level, competition rankings.

Ordinal Scale Question Example

How satisfied are you with our service? Very Dissatisfied to Very Satisfied.

What is an Interval Scale?

Data with equal intervals between values but no true zero.

Interval Scale Memory Trick

Interval = Intervals between numbers matter.

Examples of an Interval Scale

Temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit, calendar years, IQ scores.

Interval Scale Question Example

What is the current temperature outside?

What is a Ratio Scale?

Data with equal intervals and a true zero.

Ratio Scale Memory Trick

Ratio = Real zero.

Examples of a Ratio Scale

Age, height, weight, income, number of pets, hours studied.

Ratio Scale Question Example

How many hours did you study this week?

How do you identify a Nominal Scale?

The answers are categories only with no ranking.

How do you identify an Ordinal Scale?

The answers can be ranked or ordered.

How do you identify an Interval Scale?

The numbers have equal spacing, but zero does not mean none.

How do you identify a Ratio Scale?

The numbers have equal spacing and zero means none.

What scale is favorite color?

Nominal.

What scale is province of residence?

Nominal.

What scale is marital status?

Nominal.

What scale is customer satisfaction?

Ordinal.

What scale is class ranking?

Ordinal.

What scale is education level?

Ordinal.

What scale is temperature in Celsius?

Interval.

What scale is temperature in Fahrenheit?

Interval.

What scale is calendar year?

Interval.

What scale is IQ score?

Interval.

What scale is age?

Ratio.

What scale is height?

Ratio.

What scale is weight?

Ratio.

What scale is income?

Ratio.

What scale is number of siblings?

Ratio.

What scale is hours studied?

Ratio.

NOIR Memory Trick

Nominal = Name, Ordinal = Order, Interval = Intervals (no true zero), Ratio = Real zero.

What scale is eye color?

Nominal.

What scale is favorite sports team?

Nominal.

What scale is postal code?

Nominal.

What scale is blood type?

Nominal.

What scale is hair color?

Nominal.

What scale is a survey asking customers to rank products from best to worst?

Ordinal.

What scale is a 1–5 star rating?

Ordinal.

What scale is class rank (1st, 2nd, 3rd)?

Ordinal.

What scale is shirt size (Small, Medium, Large)?

Ordinal.

What scale is level of agreement (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree)?

Ordinal.

What scale is temperature in Celsius?

Interval.

What scale is temperature in Fahrenheit?

Interval.

What scale is calendar year?

Interval.

What scale is an IQ score?

Interval.

What scale is the year 2026?

Interval.

What scale is age?

Ratio.

What scale is height?

Ratio.

What scale is weight?

Ratio.

What scale is monthly income?

Ratio.

What scale is number of pets owned?

Ratio.

What scale is number of children in a family?

Ratio.

What scale is distance traveled?

Ratio.

What scale is time spent studying?

Ratio.

Nominal Example Question: What is your favorite pet?

Dog, Cat, Bird, Fish.

Ordinal Example Question: Rate your satisfaction from Very Unsatisfied to Very Satisfied.

Interval Example Question: What is the temperature outside in Celsius?

Ratio Example Question: How many hours do you work per week?

How can you tell a Nominal question?

It places responses into categories only.

How can you tell an Ordinal question?

Responses can be ranked or ordered.

How can you tell an Interval question?

Equal intervals exist, but there is no true zero.

How can you tell a Ratio question?

Equal intervals exist and zero means none.