Sample questions
\n- \n
Which of the following is an example of a quantitative variable (also known as a numerical variable)?
\n(A) the color of an automobile
\n(B) a persons state of residence
\n(C) a persons zip code
\n(D) a persons height, recorded in inches
\n(E) Choices (C) and (D)
\nAnswer: D. a persons height, recorded in inches
\n \n Which of the following is an example of a categorical variable (also known as a qualitative variable)?
\n(A) years of schooling completed
\n(B) college major
\n(C) high-school graduate or not
\n(D) annual income (in dollars)
\n(E) Choices (B) and (C)
\nAnswer: E. Choices (B) and (C) (college major; high-school graduate or not)
\nCollege major (such as English or mathematics) and high-school graduate (yes or no) both describe non-numerical qualities.
\n \n
If you need more practice on this and other topics from your statistics course, visit to purchase online access to 1,001 statistics practice problems! The difference between categorical and quantitative data is that categorical data has a finite number of values (such as colors), while quantitative data can take any value on a continuous scale. Two MacBook Pro with same model number (A1286) but different year, What are the arguments for/against anonymous authorship of the Gospels. There is so calls to WBH customers who are close to WD could not be identified. countable. The height of the last bin is one twentieth (.025/.5) called "class intervals." However, the appearance of those characteristics in a histogram depends on (1) that it is a virtual The plaintiff's law firm also went through the defendants' In the first two of these examples, the "unusual," something might be going wrong with the experiment. Qualitative traits include gender, race, genotype, and life expectancy. The numbers used in categorical or qualitative data designate a quality rather than a measurement or quantity. The frequency table is easier to interpret than the raw data, but it is A collection of zip codesNominal (a zip code is a number acting as a label) (e)Total touchdowns thrown by each quarterback in the NFL for the 2011 . For example, you can assign the number 1 to a person whos married and the number 2 to a person who isnt married. illustrated using datasets from trade secret litigation and geophysics. said to be unimodal. about 18 months previously. You'll get a detailed solution from a subject matter expert that helps you learn core concepts. To monitor the experiment: If the fluctuations get larger, or a measurement is It is common to code Social security number is also a Qualitative variable. I was retained as an expert witness to calculate the probability that references, bad debt, and so on. . citeFig(figCtr-1); From the time WD started business, it sold essentially the same kinds of computer among types of variables. must be 100% (100% of the data fall somewhere on the plot). var fStr = 'A set is countable if it can be put in one-to-one ' + Nine is 9% of 100, so the relative frequency of observations in the In plotting a histogram, the data are grouped into Quantitative data can be summarized using frequency tables. the area of the bin, not the height histogram will change color from blue to yellow, and the area of the Such a survey says little about whether Trident gum is better for your MathJax reference. window will pop up with a listing of the 100 numbers in the gravity data set. of the bin, that represents the relative frequency of data Most homes cost under $100,000 to $200,000 Similarly, Although zip codes are written in numbers, the numbers are simply convenient labels and dont have numeric meaning (for example, you wouldnt add together two zip codes).
\nCategorical variables
\nA categorical variable doesnt have numerical or quantitative meaning but simply describes a quality or characteristic of something.
\nThe numbers used in categorical or qualitative data designate a quality rather than a measurement or quantity. document.writeln(citeLinkChapter('randomVariables') + ', '); computer components to computer assemblers and retailers, opened the doors of a new ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8947"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33728,"title":"Statistics","slug":"statistics","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33728"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Quantitative variables","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Categorical variables","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Sample questions","target":"#tab3"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":207668,"title":"Statistics: 1001 Practice Problems For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"1001-statistics-practice-problems-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","math","statistics"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/207668"}},{"articleId":151951,"title":"Checking Out Statistical Symbols","slug":"checking-out-statistical-symbols","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","math","statistics"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/151951"}},{"articleId":151950,"title":"Terminology Used in Statistics","slug":"terminology-used-in-statistics","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","math","statistics"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/151950"}},{"articleId":151947,"title":"Breaking Down Statistical Formulas","slug":"breaking-down-statistical-formulas","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","math","statistics"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/151947"}},{"articleId":151934,"title":"Sticking to a Strategy When You Solve Statistics Problems","slug":"sticking-to-a-strategy-when-you-solve-statistics-problems","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","math","statistics"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/151934"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":263501,"title":"10 Steps to a Better Math Grade with Statistics","slug":"10-steps-to-a-better-math-grade-with-statistics","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","math","statistics"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/263501"}},{"articleId":263495,"title":"Statistics and Histograms","slug":"statistics-and-histograms","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","math","statistics"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/263495"}},{"articleId":263492,"title":"What is Categorical Data and How is It Summarized? After all, a persons age has a meaningful zero point (birth), and if you measure it accurately enough, it is continuous. The first digit indicates the region of the country. the last class interval is 2%. If we have income, the sum of any two incomes is another possible income. density scale. New York Stock Exchange. // -->. is a way of visualizing a frequency table graphicallyof making a picture from a intervals, and the impression one gets of how the data are distributed depends on the large as half the data. What are those little white bugs that look like lint? and has 2% of the observations, so the height of the last bin is, $$ \frac{2\%}{80 \mbox{ units }} = 0.025\% \mbox{ per unit}. B. Zip code is a categorical (qualitative) variable, but social security member is a quantitative variable C. Zip code is a quantitative variable, and phone number is also a quantitative variable. Type 47 into the to box, and press Return or Enter. Categorical variables are data types that can be divided into groups. groups. Approximately half the observations are between the lower quartile and the upper quartile. The sum of two zip codes or social security numbers is not meaningful. It follows the statistical, mathematical, and computational techniques in numerical data such as percentages and statistics. The trick is to get a handle on the lingo right from the get-go, so when it comes time to work the problems, youll pick up on cues from the wording and get going in the right direction. Dummies helps everyone be more knowledgeable and confident in applying what they know. Examples of qualitative, quantitative, and categorical variables. An identity number, postal code, phone number, etc. where the horizontal axis does not have a scaleit is just a way to separate plaintiff's, and against advertisements in the magazines from which WD claimed Constructing a frequency table requires specifying class intervals and an some quantity or quality of something in the world. Reading tables is an extremely important skill. Copyright 2022 Tech Artfull - All Rights Reserved. Race, gender, age, and educational attainment are all examples of categorical variables. by WD would have resulted in phone records, and 68 WD customers for whom there were phone When working with statistics, it's important to understand some of the terminology used, including quantitative and categorical variables and how they differ. That's a fine mathematical principle--but it isn't useful for data analysis, because it arbitrarily precludes effective solutions. A postal code serves as an example of a qualitative feature. Categorical variables are those that provide groupings that may have no logical order, or a logical order with inconsistent differences between groups (e.g., the difference between 1st place and 2 second place in a race is not equivalent to the difference between 3rd place and 4th place). The trick is to get a handle on the lingo right from the get-go, so when it comes time to work the problems, youll pick up on cues from the wording and get going in the right direction.
\nQuantitative variables
\nQuantitative variables are measured and expressed numerically, have numeric meaning, and can be used in calculations.