5.1: What to Expect

Data and the Modern World · LibreTexts

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    From LibreTexts, under CC BY 4.0, as the source states it; its equations are written in TeX, which the PDF shows typeset. This page at LibreTexts.

    Considering the use of empiricism in the modern scientific method, data from observed variables is one of the most important parts of any study. Data comes in many different forms, including numerical data of several types, nonnumerical data that can be categorized, and nonnumerical data that has a more abstract form. In this chapter, we will define and offer examples of several types of numerical data and categorical data. By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

    1. Classify data as either quantitative or qualitative.
    2. Determine if qualitative data can be represented as categorical data.
    3. Identify what types of mathematical calculations are valid for each measurement scale.
    4. Determine if a variable has been measured using a nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio measurement scale.

    This page titled 5.1: What to Expect was last modified on Wed, 18 Mar 2026 02:48:28 GMT and is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by .