Molly Nelson has been collecting temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit, daily over the past five spring seasons, to determine the optimal point to plant her heirloom tomatoes. Because the difference between each degree is the same, irrelevant of the temperature, this is what type of measurement scale?
A) ratio
B) nominal
C) ordinal
D) interval

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The interval scale is characterized by equal intervals between measurements, which means the difference between each degree is constant. This is true for temperature measurements in degrees Fahrenheit, where the difference between each degree is the same, making it an interval scale. Ratio scales, in contrast, have both a meaningful zero point and equal intervals, which temperature in Fahrenheit does not have since 0°F does not represent an absence of temperature. Nominal and ordinal scales do not have equal intervals between measurements; nominal scales categorize data without any order, and ordinal scales rank data without specifying the size of intervals between ranks.

Molly Nelson Has Been Collecting Temperatures in Degrees Fahrenheit, Daily