Ordinal Level Data

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In terms of levels of measurement, the lowest level of data is known as nominal level. This data is qualitative in nature, the variables are word oriented. This is opposite of qualitative data which is number oriented (Walker, 2009). Some of the most common variables include; race, hair color, and occupation. An example of this could be used when researching data on animals. If you were breeding rabbits and keeping up with data, you could say Rabbit A was bred with Rabbit B. This would be a way organize and track the animals. Ordinal level data is similar to nominal level data, it must be distinct, mutually exclusive and completely exhaustive (Walker, 2009). Just because an ordinal level variable is not distinct, does not make it …show more content…

The main difference between the two is that ordinal level data can be ordered (Walker, 2009). An example of this data could be used when ranking sports teams according to their records. Baseball team A is ranked in first place with 0 loses in the season, Team B lost two games and they are ranked 3rd for the season.

Interval level data represents a move from qualitive to a truly quantitative scale. It builds on ordinal data that may be ranked but there are also equal intervals between categories (Walker, 2009). With ordinal level data you might not possible to know exactly what the interval is between, like with shirt sizes; small, medium, and large. With interval level data, it is easier to figure out because there are equal intervals between like finding miles per gallon for fuel economy (Walker, 2009). I have …show more content…

Measurement is important for scientific inquiries and is also a critical component of statistical analysis (Walker, 2009). At its most simple level, a variable is a social phenomenon, characteristic, or a behavior someone researches to learn about. Because they vary between cases they are called variables (Walker, 2009). I believe this is all important for law enforcement for at least two reasons, reducing crime rates and money. Law enforcement agencies rely on this collection of data when they are looking at ways to reduce the crime rates in their jurisdictions. Those who figure budgets also rely on this data to figure the budget for the following year. Like I mentioned in question four, the grants available for traffic enforcement require us to collect and report data. For the variable arrest, I believe the unit of measurement would be ordinal. An arrest is something that can be ordered. Getting arrested is a process that takes steps. A police officer must first have a reason to be in contact with an offender. This is usually because a crime has been committed. If the officer has enough probable cause, the offender will be taken into custody. In most cases, the officer will place handcuffs on the offender and then transport them to jail. The offender will be fingerprinted and photographed during the booking process. These steps are required for an officer

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