SCALES OF MEASUREMENT | RESEARCH APTITUDE | NTA UGC NET PAPER 1

JUNE 2020| RESEARCH APTITUDE

In which scale of measurement, classification, order and equality of units are ensured?

(a)Ordinal                                                       (b) Nominal

(c)Interval                                                       (d) Ratio

Ans: C

There are different kinds of measurement scales used to qualify or quantify data variables and the type of data being collected determines the kind of measurement scale to be used. The scale of measurement includes nominal scale, ordinal scale, interval scale and ratio scale.

A nominal scale is a scale of measurement used to assign events or objects into discrete categories. It describes a variable with categories that do not have a natural order or ranking. Ordinal scale is used for variables which can be categorised as well as ranked. Interval scale is used for variables involving quantity, which can be categorised, ranked as well as can be expressed in increments with known, measurable, consistent and equal intervals. Ratio scale is used when a variable can be categorised, ranked and expressed in equal intervals and can have an absolute zero value, that is, the starting point of the scale is taken as zero.