CompTIA Data+ (DA0-002)Data Concepts and EnvironmentsEasy
A data analyst is working with a dataset that includes customer ages, income levels, and the number of purchases made per month. Which of the following data types best describes the 'number of purchases made per month'?
- ACategorical
- BRatio
- CNominal
- DOrdinal
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Ratio
Ratio data has a true zero point, meaning that zero indicates the absence of the quantity being measured, and ratios between values are meaningful. The number of purchases made per month fits this description.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Categorical data represents characteristics or qualities that can be grouped into categories.
- C. Nominal data is a type of categorical data without any intrinsic order or ranking.
- D. Ordinal data has a meaningful order, but the intervals between values are not necessarily equal.
Ratio Data
A type of quantitative data that has a true zero point, meaning zero indicates the absence of the measured quantity, and ratios between values are meaningful.
- Has a true zero point.
- Ratios between values are meaningful.
- Allows for all arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division).
- Includes measurements like height, weight, age, and count.
Memory trick: Imagine a 'Ratio' as a 'ruler' that starts at zero and lets you compare sizes.