In Exercises 1 and 2, use the following wait times (minutes) at 10:00 AM for the Tower of Terror ride at Disney World (from Data Set 33 “Disney World Wait Times” in Appendix B).

35 35 20 50 95 75 45 50 30 35 30 30

g. What level of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio) describes this data set?

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Step 1: Understand the concept of levels of measurement. There are four levels: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. Each level describes how data is categorized and the mathematical operations that can be performed on it.

Step 2: Analyze the data provided. The wait times are numerical values (e.g., 35, 35, 20, etc.), which represent the amount of time in minutes that visitors waited for the ride.

Step 3: Determine if the data has a true zero point. Since wait times can be zero (indicating no wait), this data has a true zero point, which is a key characteristic of ratio-level measurement.

Step 4: Check if the data allows for meaningful comparisons using ratios. For example, a wait time of 50 minutes is twice as long as a wait time of 25 minutes. This confirms that the data is at the ratio level.

Step 5: Conclude that the level of measurement for this data set is 'ratio' because it is numerical, has a true zero point, and allows for meaningful ratio comparisons.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Levels of Measurement

Levels of measurement refer to the different ways data can be categorized and analyzed. There are four primary levels: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. Nominal data are categories without a specific order, ordinal data have a defined order but no consistent difference between values, interval data have meaningful differences but no true zero, and ratio data have all the properties of interval data with a true zero point.

Ratio Level of Measurement

The ratio level of measurement is the highest level of measurement, which includes all the properties of interval data, along with a true zero point that allows for the comparison of absolute magnitudes. In this level, both differences and ratios are meaningful. For example, a wait time of 0 minutes indicates no wait, and a wait time of 40 minutes is twice as long as a wait time of 20 minutes.

Data Set Characteristics

Understanding the characteristics of a data set is crucial for determining its level of measurement. In this case, the wait times are numerical values representing time, which can be compared and measured. This numerical nature, along with the presence of a true zero (no wait time), indicates that the data set is best described as a ratio level of measurement.

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