Which scale has an absolute zero point?

Which scale has an absolute zero point?

• A. Nominal
• B. Ordinal
• C. Ratio
• D. Interval

Answer: (C)

Having an absolute zero point means the zero actually means “no amount of the quantity.” Only the ratio scale provides that true zero, which lets you compare magnitudes with meaningful ratios (for example, twice as long or half as heavy). Examples include length, mass, duration, and temperature measured in Kelvin. Interval scales like Celsius or Fahrenheit have equal steps but an arbitrary zero, so you can measure differences but not ratios. Nominal scales are just categories, and ordinal scales have order without equal intervals, so neither has a true zero. This is why the ratio scale is the one that includes an absolute zero.

Having an absolute zero point means the zero actually means “no amount of the quantity.” Only the ratio scale provides that true zero, which lets you compare magnitudes with meaningful ratios (for example, twice as long or half as heavy). Examples include length, mass, duration, and temperature measured in Kelvin. Interval scales like Celsius or Fahrenheit have equal steps but an arbitrary zero, so you can measure differences but not ratios. Nominal scales are just categories, and ordinal scales have order without equal intervals, so neither has a true zero. This is why the ratio scale is the one that includes an absolute zero.