The age scale provided, with categories sorted by age ranges, represents an ordinal scale since it can be ranked by order but not quantified in exact differences or ratios.
The scale of age groups: (1) 18-24, (2) 25-34, (3) 35-44, (4) 45-54, (5) 55+ is an example of an ordinal scale. This scale allows for the ordering of data, in this context, the age groups can be ranked from youngest to oldest. However, the exact differences between the categories cannot be measured. For instance, the range between 18-24 years is not necessarily the same as the range between 45-54 years. Furthermore, in an ordinal scale, the concept of 'zero' or the idea of establishing ratios between the different categories does not exist, which distinguishes it from a ratio scale.
The ordinal scale is thus characterized by data that can be ordered, but not accurately quantified in terms of differences or ratios. This contrasts with nominal scales which cannot be ordered, interval scales which can measure the differences between data points, and ratio scales which have a true zero and allow calculation of ratios. In the context of the provided age scale categories, they are sequenced in an order (by increasing age) but do not reflect exact numerical differences or proportions within the categories.