Data can be classified in two main ways: Based on the type of data and measurement level.
Types of Data:
- Categorical Data
- Categories/groups
- Answers to Yes/No Questions
- Numerical Data
- Discreet Data: Finite eg: University grade/number of children/exam score
- Continuous Data: Infinite and impossible to count eg: weight/ height/ distance/ time
Levels of Measurement:
- Qualitative Data
- Nominal Data: Groups and categories that aren’t numbers and cannot be ordered. Eg. Brands/Seasons
- Ordinal Data: Groups and categories that follow a strict order. Eg. ratings
- Quantitative Data
- Interval Data: don’t have true zero. Eg. Temperature(0 degrees centigrade/Fahrenheit doesn’t have a true zero. only 0-degree kelvin has a true zero hence considered ratio data since nothing can be colder than 0-degree kelvin)
- Ratio Data: has got true zero. Eg. no of objects/distance/time
- numbers data can be both ratio or interval depending on the context they are being used.