What is the difference between ordinal, interval
and ratio variables? Why should I care?
In the 1940s, Stanley Smith Stevens introduced four scales of measurement: nominal, ordinal,
interval, and ratio. These are still widely used today as a way to describe the characteristics of a
variable. Knowing the scale of measurement for a variable is an important aspect in choosing
the right statistical analysis.
Nominal
A nominal scale describes a variable with categories that do not have a natural order or
ranking. You can code nominal variables with numbers if you want, but the order is
arbitrary and any calculations, such as computing a mean, median, or standard
deviation, would be meaningless.
Examples of nominal variables include:
genotype, blood type, zip code, gender, race, eye color, political party
Ordinal
An ordinal scale is one where the order matters but not the difference between values.
Examples of ordinal variables include:
socio economic status (“low income”,”middle income”,”high income”), education
level (“high school”,”BS”,”MS”,”PhD”), income level (“less than 50K”, “50K-100K”,
“over 100K”), satisfaction rating (“extremely dislike”, “dislike”, “neutral”, “like”,
“extremely like”).
Note the differences between adjacent categories do not necessarily have the same
meaning. For example, the difference between the two income levels “less than 50K”
and “50K-100K” does not have the same meaning as the difference between the two
income levels “50K-100K” and “over 100K”.
Interval
An interval scale is one where there is order and the difference between two values is
meaningful.
Examples of interval variables include:
temperature (Farenheit), temperature (Celcius), pH, SAT score (200-800), credit
score (300-850).
Ratio
A ratio variable, has all the properties of an interval variable, and also has a clear
definition of 0.0. When the variable equals 0.0, there is none of that variable.
Examples of ratio variables include:
enzyme activity, dose amount, reaction rate, flow rate, concentration, pulse,
weight, length, temperature in Kelvin (0.0 Kelvin really does mean “no heat”),
survival time.
When working with ratio variables, but not interval variables, the ratio of two
measurements has a meaningful interpretation. For example, because weight is a ratio
variable, a weight of 4 grams is twice as heavy as a weight of 2 grams. However, a
temperature of 10 degrees C should not be considered twice as hot as 5 degrees C. If it
were, a conflict would be created because 10 degrees C is 50 degrees F and 5 degrees
C is 41 degrees F. Clearly, 50 degrees is not twice 41 degrees. Another example, a pH
of 3 is not twice as acidic as a pH of 6, because pH is not a ratio variable.
OK to compute.... Nominal Ordinal Interval Ratio
Frequency distribution Yes Yes Yes Yes
Median and percentiles No Yes Yes Yes
Add or subtract No No Yes Yes
Mean, standard deviation, standard error of the
No No Yes Yes
mean
Ratios, coefficient of variation No No No Yes
Test your understanding of Nominal,
Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio Scales
Each scale is represented once in the list below.
Favorite candy bar
Weight of luggage
Year of your birth
Egg size (small, medium, large, extra large, jumbo)
Each scale is represented once in the list below.
Military rank
Number of children in a family
Jersey numbers for a football team
Shoe size
Answers: N,R,I,O and O,R,N,I
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