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PPT2 Types and Classification of Variables

1) There are two main types of variables: quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative variables represent numerical data while qualitative variables represent categorical or attribute data. 2) Variables can also be classified as discrete or continuous depending on the type of numerical values they represent. Discrete variables represent countable values while continuous variables represent values along a continuous scale. 3) Data can be measured at nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio levels depending on the type of data and whether differences between values can be determined. Nominal data involves simple categorization while higher levels allow for more precise mathematical comparisons.

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167 views13 pages

PPT2 Types and Classification of Variables

1) There are two main types of variables: quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative variables represent numerical data while qualitative variables represent categorical or attribute data. 2) Variables can also be classified as discrete or continuous depending on the type of numerical values they represent. Discrete variables represent countable values while continuous variables represent values along a continuous scale. 3) Data can be measured at nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio levels depending on the type of data and whether differences between values can be determined. Nominal data involves simple categorization while higher levels allow for more precise mathematical comparisons.

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Mary De Castro
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Types and Classification of

Variables
Objectives:

1 2 3
To differentiate To identify discrete To classify data
quantitative from and continuous according the
qualitative data scales/levels of
variables measurement
Types of Data

Attribute Numerical
(qualitative) (quantitative)

Verbal Label Coded Discrete Continuous


X = economics X=3 X=2 X = 3.15
(your major) (i.e., economics) (your siblings) (your GPA)
Quantitative and qualitative
• QUANTITATIVE DATA (numerical) – it consist of numbers
representing counts or measurements.
• QUALITATIVE DATA (categorical or attribute) – it consist of names
or labels that are not numbers representing counts or measurements.

 The ages (in years) of survey  The political party affiliations


(Democrat, Republican, Independent,
respondents other) of survey respondents
QUANTITATIVE DATA QUALITATIVE DATA

 The numbers 24, 28, 17 and 54 sewn  Test scores of the students in
on the shirts of a basketball team an examination
QUALITATIVE DATA
QUANTITATIVE DATA
Qualitative data

• Also called attribute data, categorical data, nominal


data
• Values are described by words rather than numbers

Examples
• Gender (Male, Female, LGBTQ)
• Job status (regular, probationary, contractual)
• Education (elementary, high school, vocational, college)
Qualitative data

• Qualitative data are coded


• Coding refers to using numbers to represent categories
to facilitate statistical analysis

Examples
• Gender (Male - 1, Female - 2, LGBTQ - 3)
• Job status (regular -3, probationary - 2, contractual - 1)
• Education (elementary - 1, high school - 2, vocational - 3, college - 4)
Quantitative data

• Numerical Data or quantitative data arise from


counting or some kind of mathematical operation

Examples:
• Number of family members
• Amount of tuition fee paid in a semester
• Weight of baby
• Score in an exam • Can be broken down into two types
– discrete or continuous data.
Discrete and continuous
• DISCRETE DATA – result when the number of possible values
is either a finite number or a ‘countable’ number.
• CONTINUOUS DATA – result from infinitely many possible
values that correspond to some continuous scale that covers a
range of values without gaps, interruptions, or jumps.
 The amounts of milk from cows  The number of eggs that hens lay
- CONTINUOUS DATA - DISCRETE DATA
They are measurements that can
assume any value over a They represent counts.
continuous span.
Levels /Scales of Measurement
NOMINAL level
• consist of names, labels or categories only
• cannot be arranged in an ordering scheme (such as low to
high).
• is a qualitative data
• cannot be used for calculations
 Gender (Male,
• coded with a number
Female, LGBTQ)
Examples

 Yes/No/Undecided: Survey
responses of yes, no and undecided  Nationality
ORDINAL level
can be arranged in some order, but there is no distinct interval
between the ranks
differences (obtained by subtraction) between data values either
cannot be determined or are meaningless
Examples:
 Ranking (first, second, third etc.)

 Evaluation rating (Strongly agree,


Agree, Disagree, Strongly disagree
INTERVAL level

• Data that is ranked similar to the ordinal level


• There is distinct interval between the ranks
• However, data has no meaningful zero

 
Temperature: Body temperatures of
 It doesn’t have a natural starting point.
 The value of might seem like a starting point, but
it is arbitrary and does not represent the total
absence of heat.
RATIO level
• Data that is ranked, with distinct
interval between the ranks
• Data has meaningful zero

Examples:
 Distances – Distance (in km) traveled by cars

 Height
 Weight  Prices – Prices of college
textbooks.

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