Levels of Measurement

There are four levels of measurement which are given below

 Nominal
 Ordinal
 Interval
 Ratio

Nominal Level:
A Nominal Scale is a measurement scale, in
which numbers serve as “tags” or “labels” only, to identify or
classify an object. This measurement normally deals only with
non-numeric (quantitative) variables or where numbers have
no value.

Examples:
1. Genotype.
2. Car brands.
3. Zip code.
4. Gender.
5. Race.
6. Eye color.
7. Political party.
Ordinal Level:
Statistical level of measurement in which
variables are in order or rank but without a degree of
difference between categories. The ordinal scale contains
qualitative data; 'ordinal' meaning 'order'. It places variables in
order/rank, only permitting to measure the value as higher or
lower in scale.

Examples:
1.Socio economic status (low income, average income, high
income).
2.Education level (High school, BS, MS, PhD).
3.Income level (less than 50K, 50K-100K, over 100K).
4.Satisfaction rating (extremely dislike, dislike, neutral, like,
extremely like).
5.Student Rank Level (Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior, Senior).
6. School Level (Kinder garden, Primary, Secondary).

Interval Level:
The interval scale is a quantitative
measurement scale in which there is order, the difference
between the two variables is meaningful and equal, and the
presence of zero is arbitrary. The interval scale is the third
level of measurement after the nominal scale and the ordinal
scale.

Examples:
1. Time of each day in the meaning of a 12-hour clock.
2. Temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius (but not
Kelvin).
3. IQ test (intelligence scale).
4. Test scores such as the SAT and ACT test scores.
5. Age is also a variable that is measurable on an interval scale,
like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 years and etc.
6. Measuring an income as a range, like $0-$999; $1000-
$1999; $2000-$2900, and etc.
7. Dates (1015, 1442, 1726, etc.)

8. Voltage e.g. 110 and 120 volts (AC); 220 and 240 volts (AC) and
etc.

Ratio level:
A ratio scale is a quantitative scale of measurement
in which there is a true zero and equal intervals between
neighboring points. Unlike on an interval scale, a zero on a
ratio scale means there is a total absence of the variable you
are measuring.

Examples:
1. Height.
2. Money.
3. Age.
4. Weight.
5. Length.
6. Area.
7. Population.